As
2017 concludes I'm taking a preliminary look at 2018 over the next few
weeks. First off, Europe's most powerful leader and a rock of stability
over the last twelve years, Angela Merkel, Australia's leader Malcolm
Turnbull and the inevitable Trump are subjects of this week's column.

Angela
Merkel was sworn in as German Chancellor at 14.05 hours on November 22
2005 in Berlin. This horoscope now has restrictive Saturn arriving at
the Midheaven. The Chancellor has remained in office for twelve years
– one full Jupiter cycle of the zodiac. The planetary king maker
completing its cycle can be a sign of removal from power.

A
fitting example of the Jupiter cycle in action, is former Australian Prime
Minister, John Howard. His leadership stretched from March 11 1996 to
December 3 2007, just two months short of a Jupiter orbit of the Sun.
His inglorious exit included losing his own seat. Merkel's Jupiter cycle
completed in November 2017. Since then she has struggled to form a government.

Merkel's
birth horoscope of July 17 1954 @ 1800 hours in Hamburg, repeats the same
theme. Rebellious Uranus is now in forward motion and heading to square
her Cancerian birth Sun. The Sun, now in Capricorn, is also due to oppose
her birth Sun by January 9. Will Merkel be the first major political casualty
of 2018? It's a changing of the guard.

MALCOLM
IN THE MIDDLE

Australian
Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull's political career resembles a roller
coaster. Incredible career successes are interspersed with soul searching
defeats and rapid repositioning.

He
championed the Republican movement only to see it jettisoned at the final
count. He narrowly won the Liberal leadership after a first time defeat,
lost it by the narrowest of margins and then launched a successful challenge
that unseated a Prime Minister.

Turnbull
was born October 24 1954 (time unknown) in Sydney Australia. His sudden
shifts correspond with his regenerative Scorpio Sun in a dynamic T-Square
with bountiful Jupiter, fast changing Uranus and aggressive Mars.

Those
who know him well recognise these qualities of the quick temper, wanting
to get things done in a hurry and a fascination with technology, courtesy
of the Jupiter Uranus connection.

In
2018, that same planet of disruption and rapid re-alignment, Uranus, will
be opposing his Sun, suggesting that his support base may get increasingly
unstable and unpredictable.

Progressing
Mars – implying aggressive competition – will also come into
a testing angle to his Sun and Mars square in 2018. If it's not the national
broadband network coming to haunt, it's opponents out of left (or should
I say right) field.

Undermining
Neptune also enters the mix by late April/May. Turnbull will be under
attack and his problem has always been that the predators have usually
been members of his own party. Expect either a significant challenge which
may unseat him around this period or a present enormous leadership difficulty.

TRUMP
– WHEN VISION MEANS DIVISION

Donald
Trump seems determined to set the US on a path of greater conflict in
2018. It's something that I have always thought of Trump since his campaign
launch. It's impossible to overlook the multiple Mars connections that
his Gemini Sun and Moon have with the USA's Mars. Or discard his Mars
opposition to the USA's birth Moon.

Consider
too that his campaign was launched on a fiery Sun Mars conjunction, again
on the US Mars and coincided with the first Uranus return of the Third
Reich. It makes it difficult to arrive at any other conclusion other than
a Trump presidency sets all the astrological alarm bells ringing for the
USA and even Trump himself.

A
year after those considerations it's blatantly obvious that he acts as
a channel, and catalyst, for US anger and aggression – both internally
and externally. The Solar Eclipse of February 15th 2018 is set to oppose
Trump's birth Mars. This is the companion eclipse – it is happening
opposite – to the Great American Eclipse of August 2017. It's extremely
important.

DEFENDING
THE INDEFENSIBLE

You
may recall the events around the August eclipse that polarised the USA.
The eclipse cut a North/South swathe across the land, tracing geographical
Civil War divisions and correlating with similar racial hate propaganda.
The flash point was Charlottesville, Virginia and an ugly Unite The Right
rally that quickly turned deadly.

The
riots took place August 12, with the aftermath broadcast across the globe
for weeks to follow. Most of the hullabaloo was centred on the President's
handling of the crisis. Trump waded into the debate as the August 22 Solar
Eclipse loomed toward his Ascendant and Mars.

Eclipses
change perceptions and if anyone doubted Trump's racist undertones, or
old world beliefs, Charlottesville laid them bare for all to see. Trump
reacted aggressively, elevating his war with the media to new heights.
As a result, his Gallup Poll approval rating dropped to a record low of
35% with disapproval peaking at 60% and 5% undecided.

Recent
threats to the United Nations, a defiant declaration of Jerusalem as the
capital of Israel (with no recognition of Palestine) and tax cuts favouring
the rich have returned dismal poll ratings around 35% to round out the
year 2017.

GET
SET FOR ROUND TWO

Expect
the upcoming February Solar Eclipse opposing Trump's Mars to find him
embroiled in a battle. In this same time frame, the leadership Sun in
the progressed horoscope of the USA will also be under severe challenge.
This pressure will gradually increase into the April.

One
of the immediate possibilities is the progress of Robert Mueller’s
Russian interference probe becoming a real threat to his administration.
Doubts about the legitimacy of the 2016 election will continue throughout
the year ahead. From April 2018 Trump will face mounting opposition from
within the conservative establishment.

The
President's counter to this has been to undermine intelligence institutions,
like the FBI and any findings contrary to his worldview. Trump's supporters
will work to white ant Mueller's credibility. This insecurity can be connected
to him losing the popular vote by close to three million.

Trump
initially complained that electorates were rigged, boasting that his inauguration
attendance was the largest ever and that his electoral college win exceeded
previous Republicans victories. His defence is invariably a counter attack,
with the truth a sacrificial victim.

These
obvious fantasies suit 'gaslighting Neptune' meeting up with the Secondary
Progressed US leadership Sun. It's a feature of the 2017 that is recurring
through 2018. Never before have we seen a national leader so parodied,
nor White House press briefings so subject ridicule for presenting 'alternative
facts'.

The
dissipating Neptune effect is strong mid February and also comes back
around late October and early December. Neptune wears away like lapping
water on sandstone. The results are more obvious over time. As this is
purely affecting the national chart, it would effect no matter who was
occupying head office.

NO
SECOND SERVE

What
Trump's personal horoscope does show is that he will not serve a second
term and will even have great difficulty completing a first term. Around
the time that the Republican nomination is announced – July 2020
– Trump's progressing Midheaven will hit the brick wall of Saturn.
It will also semisquare his birth Uranus. This combination spells separations
and fractured alliances.

Trump
also came to the presidency in the balsamic, or closing stages of his
Sun/Moon progression cycle. This usually marks a time of endings. And
while he has forgone his business career, he assumed the leadership during
this 'release' period, with his New Moon due in September 2019.

Much
earlier than that, the triple transit of erratic Uranus will square Trump's
progressing administrative Midheaven from the middle of June 2018 through
April 2019, returning again at the end of that year. Each of these transits
chips away at his authority and the cumulative effect incrementally increases
the odds of professional change.

THE
BOUNCE OF BATTLE

The
Republicans are between a rock and hard place with a Greek tragedy of
their own creation. Despite great reticence they finally backed Trump
who delivered an election win. With a few notable but rare exceptions
they have staunchly defended him.

His
unpopularity makes him an electoral liability. Stacking the White House
with Pentagon pals, Goldman Sachs and Exxon execs makes mockery of his
deep state conspiracy theories and drain the swamp promises. But one thing
that usually gives a President a decent popularity bounce is a security
scare or declaration of war.

Trump's
military Mars setting over North Korea has played out exactly as expected.
He has it rising over Venezuela, another country in his sights, if only
for their vast oil deposits. Iran is another oil rich nation and his first
overseas visit was to immediately gather a Saudi led coalition against
them.

These
agendas are nothing new. Trump has long harboured the same worldview.
The February eclipse also opposes Israel's Mars and Netanyahu's Mars.
In consideration of Trump's championing of Zionist expansion in the face
global opposition, he would have little hesitation in lighting another
spark in the Middle East, let alone the South China sea or Korean peninsula.

It's
this kind of ideological belligerence that defies diplomatic solutions
and leans more toward pre-emptive strikes. It's easy to see how the Trump
presidency has upended global order and further polarised his homeland.
And it's why the generational markers of Jupiter and Saturn show his election
win as being just as momentuous and jarring as 911 and the Global Financial
Crisis.

Winding up, there is a SuperMoon happening this week - the second in a
trilogy - and due at 02.24 am Universal Time January 2. It's occurring
at 11CAN37, close to the US birth Sun and also locking in with the July
3 2013 Egyptian coup of General Sisi. It may be place an important focus
on the US/Egyptian military alliance.

More next week. Meantime thanks for your support throughout 2017 and wishing
a Happy New Year to you and your loved ones. Roll on 2018.

DEC
24

THE
UNWANTED CHRISTMAS GIFT?

Between
10.56 and 10.57 am December 22 2017, in Washington DC, US President Donald
Trump signed a controversial Tax Reform Bill. Controversial, for in a
time of rampant inequality, the Bill further fortifies the rich, whilst
adding another $1.5 trillion to an already record national debt. The bill
was hastily pushed through Congress in near record time before Christmas.

At
the heart of the plan is a reduction in corporate tax from 35% to 21%,
sure to stimulate business and benefit stock market investors. In defiance
of progressive tax, where the rich pay a greater escalating percentage,
the Republicans are reducing higher income rates more than the lower incomes.

Americans
were against the cuts by a ratio of 55% against to 35% for, on average
poll results. The 35% 'for' remains consistent with Donald Trump's voter
base and his approval rating which hovers around 37% at the time of writing.
In typical hyperbole, he claims they are the biggest tax cuts in US history.

Truth
is the record cuts occurred under a multi-millionaire businessman at the
helm of American finance; one much richer than Trump. His name was Andrew
Mellon.

ANDREW
MELLON ROARING 20's TO GREAT DEPRESSION

Andrew
Mellon, was a Republican conservative Secretary of the Treasury, for a
record 11 years and 10 months. It equates to one Jupiter growth cycle.
Mellon, the son of a banker, was a phenomenally successful businessman.
At the time of his appointment, he was the third richest man in the USA.
Only Henry Ford and John Rockefeller were wealthier.

Mellon
subscribed to trickle down economics. He lowered the highest individual
tax rates from 73% to 24% between 1922 and 1929. His justification being
that that fortunes would be put back into the economy, infrastructure
would thrive and tax avoidance could be curbed. He also lowered real estate
tax, greatly benefiting the elite, in a similar philosophy to the current
tax reforms.

Mellon
did have his measure of success initially. Lowering corporate tax rates
encouraged industry and had major political ramifications during the ostentatious
period known as the Roaring Twenties. It was an era born for the Donald
Trumps of this world. Unfortunately, economies, like cars, need a brake
as well as accelerator.

The
over heated economy eventually bubbled into the Great Depression by the
end of 1929, when Mellon headed overseas extracting payments on US loans
from WWI. Back home the cries for his impeachment became louder, leading
to his eventual resignation on February 12 1932. He then became Ambassador
to the United Kingdom.

Following
the worst financial collapse of the 20th century, the Republicans, who
had held the presidency for three consecutive terms, would not reside
in the White House for another twenty years. By the mid 1930's the top
US tax rate had ballooned to 80%. The product of a flawed trickle down
economic theory which fostered an economic inequality rivaled only by
today.

CYCLICAL
BOOM AND BUST

American
capitalism had been plagued by boom and bust cycles, since the country's
formation. As the Depression deepened, President Hoover, frustrated by
the variance of opinion among economic experts, commissioned Edward R
Dewey to study the subject of cycles. Dewey continued this for years and
the results of his findings is in the book, Cycles: The Science of Prediction,
first published in 1947.

Cycles,
of course, are the founding blocks of astrology. Before Dewey unveiled
his discoveries, the financial astrologer Louise McWhirter had published
her 1938 classic 'Astrology and Stock Market Forecasting'. The core of
McWhirter's theory concerned the movement of the Lunar Nodes, specifically
the North Node through the twelve signs of the zodiac and financial fluctuations.

She
discovered that when the North Node moves through Leo, the business cycle
tends to peak, descending to its cyclical low in the opposite sign of
Aquarius. In more recent times this would equate to the rising stock markets
of the late 90's with the North Node in Leo and the global recession of
2008, as the North Node was moving through Aquarius.

The
bull run of the Dow in 2017 could be explained, at least according to
McWhirter's ideas, by the North Node currently in Leo, where it will remain
until November 6 2018. Trump's presidency comes at a fortuitous time in
contrast to the ignominious exit of George W Bush or the ill timed entry
of Barack Obama, inheriting a nation in economic chaos, while the Node
moved through Aquarius.

Back
in the days of Andrew Mellon, the North Node was moving backwards through
Leo in 1924 and 1925, whereas by the time it reached Aquarius he had just
resigned and the US was in the throes of the Great Depression. This may
bode well for the immediate future, but descend into chaos by 2025/26
if not addressed earlier. But there are other factors involved.

THE
SATURN FACTOR

The
Tax Reform Act was signed as the Sun came to Saturn, both at the start
of Capricorn. The last time this occurred was just prior to Christmas
in 1957. This preceded a downturn in the economy, dubbed the Eisenhower
recession of 1958, after the sitting president of the time. As mentioned
in last week's article on the Capricorn Ingress (click
here for the link), the previous Sun Saturn Ingress to that happened
in December 1929 and the Great Depression followed.

Don't
be fooled by Saturn's dignity in Capricorn. Saturn is the planet of austerity
and contraction. While it would seem to suit the conservative approach
of less government and less taxes, an 'objective' look at history across
the last two centuries reveals that US government expenditure actually
increases during Saturn in Capricorn periods.

So
there are strong but conflicting signals when the North Node in Leo is
weighed with Saturn in Capricorn. It invites the question of whether a
government intervention to the tax system was really needed, as the economy
and job market seemed to be growing stronger regardless.

Will
this tend to overheat the economy, introducing short term gains for long
term losses? Is pushing the national debt to even greater amounts potentially
making that debt unmanageable? The irony being that national debt was
always a Republican sore point.

Also
in the past, approaching one Saturn cycle ago, Trump's expansive haste
led to his first and worst Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. Yes I know I
go hard on Trump, but at least I am quoting fact, not hyperbole. The bankruptcy's
began in Trump's progressed New Moon phase. He enters one again in September
of 2019.

CHARTING
THE COURSE

The
comparison of the Tax Reform Act with the birth horoscope of the USA brings
mercantile Mercury to the Ascendant, showing that they will be a subject
of much debate, news and discussion for years to come. Mercury is also
in square to the spin planet of Neptune.

The
same two charts show the opposition of the Sun and Saturn to the United
States value planet of Venus and expansionary Jupiter and in a testing
square to the US Midheaven. Saturn will eventually advance to oppose the
USA's Sun, all of which helps explain the previous financial contractions
common to its Capricorn placement.

The
same Sun Saturn combination fall right on the Sun of the US Federal Reserve
horoscope and opposite its Pluto and also square the Midheaven. Pluto
is now opposing the Fed's Ascendant and Mars. And although the mercenary
Mercury's are conjunct in both charts, the Reform is bringing dissipating
Neptune to square the Mercury.

One
gets the impression from all of this that perhaps the reform was unnecessary.
That in the longer term it could increase the inequality gap and undermine
the Fed's fiscal control. The connection of Jupiter to the Federal Reserve
Moon looks promising at first. But it was a Jupiter Moon connection that
also precisely timed the 'excesses' of the last recession.

So
was it really needed at this time or will it end up pushing interest rates
up, expand a market bubble and recreate the loss of control and deregulation
that fed into the 2008 global meltdown all over again. The North Node
had only just moved out of Leo last time when we had the dotcom bubble
crash.

They
are all valid questions as 2017 winds down. There is a touch of irony
in all of this. The reform is championed by a President whose wealth outstrips
all the other prior Presidents combined. And it's tax act pushed through
by a President, who has been consistently evasive when it comes to presenting
his own tax returns before the American public.

As
for the long passed Andrew Mellon, his family still remain among the richest
in America. It was two and a half years ago, in July 2014, when an article
appeared in Forbes magazine concerning Mark Mellon II. He is the Chairman
of the New York Republican Party’s Finance Committee. He was putting
money into fresh business concepts concerning a new crypto-currency which
he said would eventually replace the US dollar. It was called Bitcoin.

PS - Trump's signing time was computed by comparing the official US White
House statement and text of his speech (which had a starting time of 10.45
am and finsih time of 11.05 am posted) and a delayed broadcast on CNN
beginning 11.13 which had 11.24 am as the signing time.

DEC
17

TRANSLATING
THE CAPRICORN INGRESS

One
of the traditional methods for judging the potential of the immediate
future, is the use of seasonal ingress horoscopes, cast for the location
of specific capitals. This year's Capricorn Ingress occurs December 21
at 16.27.52 Universal Time. It arrives with the Sun in combination with
Saturn, the ruler of Capricorn, and a tight orb of only ten minutes separation.

As
it is a rare condition to have Saturn so prominent at the Capricorn Ingress,
I did some research on when it has occurred (within approximately two
and a half degrees) to analyse the correlations of the past with the potentials
of today. The results revealed a consistent theme. They also followed
a recurrence cycle averaging 59 years, similar to a double Saturn return
covering 1811, 1870, 1929, 1958 and now 2017.

For
starters, Saturn is the planet associated with preserving tradition and
the status quo. It is the planet identified with Father Time, bearing
the Greek name of Chronos. That makes it fitting indeed that the last
time the Sun entered Capricorn in conjunction with Saturn – in December
1958 - the John Birch Society was born.

This
far right political movement, of conspiracy-minded conservatives, have
chapters spread throughout the USA. They vigorously opposed the Civil
Rights movement of the 1960's, believing it all part of a Communist plot.
Progressives like John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King were prime targets
of the Birch believers, who were avid opponents of desegregation and the
US membership of the United Nations.

MAINTAINING
THE STATUS QUO

JBS
advocate minimalist government and oppose any economic interventionism
or wealth redistribution. That's hardly surprising, taking into account
that the society was formed by eleven of the richest men in America including
Fred Koch, father of the politically active billionaires, the Koch Bros.
JBS conspiracy theories run parallel to today's Alex Jones or Fox News.

They
do little to mask their 'WASP' ethnocentrism mixed with a Saturnian fear
factor. Bob Dylan's sarcastic 'John Birch Society Blues' parodies this
paranoia on his early classic Freewheeling album. Dylan sings about looking
for reds beneath the bed and even under his toilet seat, whilst bemoaning
the color red's presence in the US flag.

Modern
day John Bircher and Baptist preacher Mark Collins, of the Central Texas
chapter, is reportedly optimistic about the future. He believes there
is a powerful reason to rejoice, a reason for renewed optimism: God has
sent America a new, powerful leader. He’s a good man, a moral man.
God has delivered Donald J. Trump to save the United States of America.

You
be the judge of that? Trump's presidency is an amalgam of John Birch philosophies
and it is interesting that on the eve of the Ingress, his Republican tax
plan, substantially benefiting Wall St investors and his own businesses
is set to become law. It's in keeping with the leadership Sun meeting
establishment Saturn in corporatist Capricorn.

THE
1929 CAPRICORN INGRESS ALSO CAME WITH SATURN

Economic
inequality is one of the greatest growing problems in western society
and becoming entrenched in the USA. Despite this, the Republican planned
tax cuts look to increase America's national debt, forcing cutbacks on
social services. All of this has the potential of driving a widening societal
divide toward revolution.

The
prior Sun Saturn conjunction at the Capricorn Ingress came in December
1929. It fell two months after the Wall St collapse that triggered the
Great Depression. If we examine this period from the social perspective,
inequality had reached breaking point. It would pay today’s leaders
to heed these signals before the austerity of Saturn returns.

CAPITALISM
IN THE 21st CENTURY – THOMAS PICKETTY

It's
not only the planets issuing such warnings. The French economics professor
Thomas Piketty's revelatory 'Capital in the Twenty-First Century' showed
how economic inequality peaked in 1929. His book was translated into English
in April of 2014 and by May 18 was number one on the New York Times best-seller
list.

Regular
readers would recall that April 2014 featured a mundane Grand Cross formation
featuring Mars, Jupiter, Uranus and Pluto all around 13 degrees of cardinal.
The astro-talk of the time was how this powerful aspect pattern would
impact directly on the natal Sun of the USA. What happened was the renewal
of a Cold War, as the US placed economic sanctions on old enemy Russia
over their reclamation of Crimea.

But
perhaps Piketty's book portended the real looming crisis of the Grand
Cross, if we are to look deeper and longer at a message emanating. Inequality
has worsened with the extended stock market bubble, as the rich get even
richer in the home of capitalism. And last Thursday's draconian ruling
on 'net neutrality' threatens to silence the dissenting voice.

Is
it no accident that Trump's proposed tax cuts are being sold as a curious
Christmas present – right on the Capricorn Ingress with Saturn?
And by a billionaire President who refuses to release his tax returns.
The President's own horoscope makes multiple connections to this Ingress,
shown here on the cosmo dial. The day of reckoning looms.

RAGE
AGAINST THE MACHINE

Saturn
was prominent during a prior Capricorn Ingress of 1811. This period featured
a Jupiter Saturn opposition with the Moon tightly squaring the Ingress
Sun, creating a T—Square formation. It was the period of the Luddite
Uprisings. The term Luddite is now used to describe one unfamiliar and
resistant to advancing technology.

The
Luddite story began with the introduction of automation in the textile
industry, threatening wage and worker security. Experienced artisans were
being replaced by unskilled labour low wage operators. Lacking any kind
of unionised power, the disenfranchised united to destroy the machines.
It was a protest against industrialisation threatening livelihood.

Right
at the Ingress a story appeared in The Nottingham review of December 20
1811. It concerned a weaver named Ned Ludd, who smashed two knitting machines
in a fit of anger. The Luddites took their name from this character, claiming
to be fighting for the cause of General or King Ludd. The government eventually
called in the army.

Songwriter
Robert Calvert revived the legend of Ned Ludd in verse,
They said Ned Ludd was an idiot boy
That all he could do was wreck and destroy, and
He turned to his workmates and said: Death to Machines
They tread on our future and they stamp on our dreams.

The
Capricorn Ingress of 1811 featured Saturn and Jupiter tightly opposed.
This is a classic future (Jupiter) versus the past (Saturn) dichotomy.
The fact that the Moon also squared the Sun/Saturn and the Jupiter made
this automation process a major public and emotional issue in the early
days of the Industrial Revolution.

Today
it is computer technologies, globalisation and the Internet revolutionising
the workplace, sales and commerce. This Ingress also has futuristic Jupiter
uncomfortably positioned to tradionalist Saturn.

TWO
NATIONS TO WATCH - 2018 FIRST QUARTER

One
country which will feel the effect of the upcoming Capricorn Ingress with
Saturn very strongly, is Venezuela. Two reasons for that! One is location
specific. The Ingress will occur on the Midheaven, directly above the
capital of Caracas.

Secondly,
their first constitution came into being right on the 1811 Capricorn Ingress
with Saturn and Jupiter opposing. So look for a potential change of leader,
turmoil or administrative shake up in Venezuela, which puts them in the
headlines early in 2018.

Another
country to watch is Germany. The 1870 Ingress fell prior to the German
Empire, which came into being at midnight on the New Years Day of 1871
but was officially proclaimed January 18 (Astrodatabank gives an estimated
time of 12.40 pm and the ceremony concluded at 1 pm) in Paris.

German
Chancellor Angela Merkel was born with her Sun opposite the old Empire
chart, on July 17 1954 @ 1800 hours in Hamburg. Her difficult fight to
retain office is shown via her SP Sun now squaring natal Mars, as German
politics shifts further to the far right. Power shifts in Germany will
further influence the Eurozone.

WHERE
IT'S LEADING

Of
the all Capricorn ingresses occurring with Saturn, the most powerful also
featured Pluto. That last occurred in 1517, only two months after Martin
Luther mailed off his 95 thesis to the Archbishop of Mainz and reportedly
nailed the same to a Wittenberg church door.

The
Reformation underpinned the biggest redistribution of wealth and power
in Europe. The relevance of this being that Saturn will again meet with
Pluto during its transit of Capricorn for the first time since those heady
days. And this conjunction will also feature the Sun and Mercury on January
2020. Already, some signs are showing.

It
may be no cosmic coincidence that a Royal Commission into child abuse
within the Catholic Church has only just concluded. But perhaps the archetypal
analogy here involves Luther's challenge and exposure of an inherently
corrupt system of indulgences. Sin could be absolved for an exchange of
money. Everyone, even the Lord apparently, had their price.

The
days of the religious lobbyist and a corrupt priesthood are an inference
of the political system of today. The system is broken. Christianity is
being hijacked by corporate capitalism. Congress is in the hands of the
lobbyist and it is spreading to other western governments. The hierarchy
is due for a Reformation.

Saturn, at its worst, is about restriction and control through the application
of fear and separatism. The Steve Bannon style racists - the John Birchers,
who would impose the prejudice of yesterday on the potential of tomorrow.
Conspiracy theories spread by the ones who are actually the real conspirators.

Last
week Alabama delivered a powerful message to such imposters. Move over
- the 'real' revolution is on the way.

DEC
10

Was
Donald Trump thinking of the children of Gaza when he declared Jerusalem
the capital of Israel? Or of peace at Christmas? Or of his sliding evangelical
voter base ahead of an Alabama election. Moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem
became official with the finish of his signature as the clock shifted
from 1.18 pm to 1.19 pm on December 6 2017 in Washington.

Trump's
announcement comes after his team requested 'more time' prior to the last
United Nations meeting. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was getting
anxious with the US ambiguity of not criticizing Israel's illegal settlements,
nor mentioning the two-state solution. Now he has his answer.

On
the heels of Trump's announcement came a strange statement from Israeli
Prime Minister Bin Netanyahu. One which would surely fail the Pinocchio
test. “Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel for over 3,000 years.”
No doubt he was referring to the BC years of King David and Solomon. And
conveniently eliminating, the last two millennia.

This
week's column examines the global aftershock and future critical dates
from the two planetary cycles involved.

JUST
GIVE ME THE FACTS

First
– some literal home truths. Jerusalem as Israel's capital for three
thousand years. Here's the fact check. Only the uneducated are falling
for Netanyahu's revisionist fallacy. Most of the Old City of Jerusalem
was built during the Roman rule of Hadrian, the same Emperor responsible
for Hadrian's Wall in the UK.

Hadrian
also had a large temple built for Jupiter, on the site of the Temple Mount.
He renamed Judeah as Syria Palaestina and Jews were only allowed to enter
Jerusalem for one day a year. And so it remained during the Christian
Byzantium rule through the 4th and 6th centuries.

In
638 AD Jerusalem became one of the early cities conquered during the Islamisation
of the Middle East. By 691 AD the Islamic shrine Dome of the Rock was
constructed on the site of the old Roman temple, Jupiter Capitolinus.
Netanyahu's history book is missing all these chapters...and more.

The
Crusades delivered Jerusalem to the Christians in 1099, with a slaughter
of Muslims and Jews alike. It was left to the Islamic warrior Saladin
to reclaim the Holy City in 1187. It remained under Islamic rule for over
seven hundred and thirty years until falling to the British Empire on
December 9 1917.

Just
prior to the taking Jerusalem the British concluded the Balfour Declaration,
originally drawn up by Lord Rothschild and officially declared on November
2 1917. This duplicitous document, drafted whilst enlisting the help of
Arab forces to overthrow the Ottomans, promised a homeland the Jewish
Zionist movement in the Palestinian territories.

As
is common to colonialist custom, nobody asked the natives - 90% of whom
were Palestinian. Now THAT is the TRUTH. Netanyahu's incredulous claim
that Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel for over 3,000 years is
not only blatantly dishonest, but shows scant respect for the last two
millennia, its people and its customs. Now to the planetary cycles, so
well describing these developments.

JUPITER AND SATURN CALLING THE SHOTS

Every
entity has a birth-time, be they person, enterprise or country. That cosmic
kernel contains the inherent potential, as surely as an oak seed will
only grow to an oak and an elm to an elm. The birth horoscope is a schematic
that will also interact with important planetary cycles promising fertile
springs and/or harsh winters.

The
Jupiter-Saturn cycle, relating to the politics of law and order, began
on May 2000, right upon the Taurean Sun of Israel's foundation horoscope.
Taurus is the first of the fixed earth signs. Think earth, land and security.
Positioned in the eighth house of the horoscope – traditionally
associated with death and other people's property.

The
Jupiter-Saturn cycle runs twenty years, ending in December 2020. At its
inception, in 2000, negotiations between Israel and Palestine, over the
status of Jerusalem, broke down. These shattered hopes led to open hostilities,
as a Palestinian uprising eventually erupted, setting the tone for what
was to follow.

The
desire for a homeland for the Jewish diaspora was exacerbated by the Russian
pogroms of 1881. The largest of these began in Kiev on April 26 1881.
It came with a Jupiter-Saturn conjunction again in Taurus.

The
Jupiter Saturn cycle is an outstanding guide to Middle East politics of
the 21st century as the US/Israeli/Western combination asserts its dominance
over the Middle East. Here's how well the cycle's aspects and timing works.

These
three dates correlate outstandingly with the planning and subsequent invasion
of Iraq, removing renowned enemy Saddam Hussein. The military action was
approved by the Senate at 12:50 a.m. EDT on October 11 and was signed
into law by President Bush on October 16 2002. The invasion took place
March 20 2003. On July 2 2003 President Bush announced that US troops
would remain in Iraq and that month an interim government was formed.

A
critical turning point beginning December as Israel's PM, Ariel Sharon
suffered a stroke from which he never recovered. On June 25 an Israeli
soldier was captured on the Gaza border (he would be returned at the Jupiter-Saturn
opposition) leading to 'Operation Summer Rains', a brutal war on Gaza
from June 28th. The Israel-Lebanon war in the same time period was even
more lethal with over one thousand, mostly civilians, killed.

JUPITER
AND SATURN IN OPPOSITION – Exact on May 23 2010, August 16 2010,
March 28 2011.

This
aspect, due to its polarity, brings matters to a 'face-off' as it concludes
the waxing part of the cycle. Correlating remarkably close to the opposition's
first appearance, on May 20 2010, Israeli commandos raid a 'Freedom Flotilla'
bound for Gaza with humanitarian aid. They kill eight activists, a ninth
dies later of injuries sustained in the raid.

In
August of 2010 the lead ship, the Mavi Marmara is returned to Turkey after
diplomatic relations were severed. Global criticism follows with the raid
taking place in 'international waters' and all media confiscated. Regardless,
the plight of the people in Gaza achieves international recognition.

The
opposition finishes with the beginning of the Syrian Civil War, in March
2011. The same month sees NATO warplanes bombing Libya, with additional
regime change planned for Colonel Gadaffi. Western governments and their
gulf allies sponsor rebel groups and arm mercenaries in Syria and Libya.

Another
critical turning point, as by September of 2015 Russia enters the Syrian
War. Russian media will soon expose the 'fake news' reports, as they reveal
aerial photos of oil tanker convoys stealing Iraqi oil for western consumption.
Ordinary punters begin questioning, just who is 'really' behind ISIS?

On
March 24 2016 – right on the second square – a video of an
IDF member killing a prostate and wounded Palestinian rival goes viral.
The soldier is court-marshalled and later jailed.

On
May 25 2016 a New York Times headline leads, “A Split Over Israel
Threatens The Democrats Hopes For Unity”. Bernie Sanders representatives
are critical of constant US bias toward Israel. They intend to redress
it as part of the party platform. Sanders, who is Jewish, and supports
a Jewish homeland, is also an outspoken critic of disproportionate force.

One
of Sanders team complains that, “because of the role of money and
lobbies there is difficulty in a candid dialogue.” The same person,
Dr Cornel West, once branded Bin Netanyahu as a war criminal. Sensitive
to any change in political discourse, the story does the rounds of the
American and Israeli media on the final square.

Trump's
predictable declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, continues
the pattern of this security conscious, land focussed Taurean cycle. It
seems to set the scene for December and the first quarter of 2018.

Look
to significant developments around the aforementioned dates. With one
pivotal provision. The second semisquare of March 14 2018, brings Jupiter
to 23 of Scorpio, opposing the degree where the whole cycle began. This
makes mid-March a most important time.

If
the Palestinians cannot achieve justice through diplomacy, they may seek
it through the International Courts.

I
have written before that Israel's Mars, Netanyahu's Mars and Trump's Mars
are all positioned in the late degrees of Leo. Mars is the militaristic
planet. On February 15 2018 an Aquarian Solar Eclipse will oppose the
Mars degree of all three. This reinforces the crucial time frame above.

SATURN
AND URANUS - DEMOCRACY

There
is one other critical cycle important to this matter. Perhaps even moreso
that the one I have described above. It is the cycle that Athenian democracy
was born under in 507 BC. The cycle operative in 1215 when the Magna Carta
underpinning common law came into being. And the cycle that coincided
with the beginning of the break up of the Soviet states.

Establishment
Saturn and insurrectionist Uranus were coming together for the first Palestinian
Intifada on December 9 1987 to begin their 45 year run. Trump has inadvertently
made his announcement during the Saturn return of this cycle. There's
always time for him to balance the bias and declare Jerusalem as also
the capital of Palestine. Bet you are holding your breath..waiting for
that one?

DEC
03

WELCOME
TO THE SUPERMOON

The
Full Moon due at 15.47 hours Universal Time on Sunday December 3 2017
will arrive as a SuperMoon. This term describes either a New or Full Moon
coinciding with the approximate date that the Moon is also making its
closest approach to Earth. Ready yourself for a rare trilogy of SuperMoons,
they are also due January 2 and 31 of 2018.

At
the Moons closest approach, technically termed its perigee, it increases
around 14% in apparent size and its gravitational effect similarly increases.
That's why SuperMoons, a name given by astrologer Richard Nolle, are linked
with monster tides and wild weather. They also have a connection to an
increased incidence of earthquakes.

The
March 2011 Sendai tsunami that flooded the reactors of Fukushima occurred
between two SuperMoons. Four days after the first of these, an earthquake
struck Christchurch, New Zealand claiming 185 lives and extensively damaging
properties.

SuperMoons
also tend to heighten emotional responses bringing tense situations to
a climax. The same period Feb-March 2011 saw the rapid expansion of the
Arab Spring, with the resignation of Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak,
the beginning of the Syrian Civil War and NATO bombing and enforced regime
change of Libya.

All
that happened, or began, between two consecutive SuperMoons. This time
we're looking at three. Weather patterns and geological shifts aside,
there'll be a whole lotta shaking going on across the geopolitical landscape
leading into 2018 an onward. The one to look at here would be the second
in the series (January 2) as it comes within two days of the Earth's closest
approach to the Sun.

THE
SUPERGIANT RED STARS

The
December 3 SuperMoon is a starting point and notable for multiple stellar
connections. Just before it forms a Full Moon, the lunar face will occult
(move across and cut off the light) the orange super giant Aldebaran This
important fixed star, placed in the eye of the Bull, was one of the four
royal stars (seasonal markers) of Persia. It is over 400 times as bright
as our Sun, but 65 million light years away.

A
day before the SuperMoon, the Sun will inch past a second of the royal
stars, the red giant Antares, positioned in the heart of the Scorpion.
Antares is even more massive than Aldebaran, 10,000 times brighter than
our Sun and 551 light years away. Both of these super giants have acquired
a military reputation down through the ages, similar to the red planet
Mars.

It
will be important to keep an eye on military planning and engagements
from here on, as this SuperMoon comes angled in a tight semisquare to
Mars and square to the lord of the seas, Neptune. Already we're witnessing
Israel firing missiles into Syria, Saudi Arabia fanning the flames of
war with Iran and North Korea defiantly continuing down a provocative
nuclear path. Must be time for an update on the birth chart of the USA.

WHAT'S
REALLY HAPPENING

The
USA's Secondary Progressed Sun is in a testy square to the natal Ascendant
and semisquare Pluto. It's indicative of the country's President being
at cross purposes with established diplomatic relations. The Sun signifies
leadership and the Ascendant represents the country's global projection.

The
Sun semisquaring Pluto part is akin to a power struggle. The last Sun
to Pluto major progressed aspect was back when Nixon was in office during
the Watergate years. I doubt that needs any further explanation.

The
SuperMoon will square the USA Sun and the actual Full Moon itself is falling
right across the Ascendant/Descendant axis of the USA's chart. As it does
so, the Supermoon also runs mundanely square to Neptune and semisquare
to Mars.

Again
this puts an emphasis on international affairs – both allies and
enemies. The Mars Neptune may be related to the Pacific Pivot and control
of the sea lanes and channels comprising the South China Seas and Korean
peninsula.

The
USA's Secondary Progressed Moon is opposing its birth Mars and squaring
birth Neptune. The duplication of the same planets involved would tend
to create and reinforce a theme, which again may be associated with naval
power or even covert military operations.

The
Mars Neptune aspect is often active at mass shootings such as Charleston,
Orlando or even the assassination of JFK. The Neptune factor accounts
for not only the losses involved but also the political spin and conspiracy
theories that often accompany such incidents.

Another
way of looking at Mars Neptune is the 'sacrifice' of battle and the mythology
attached. When America's most decorated war hero, Smedley Butler, wrote
his classic expose 'War Is A Racket' he was ably describing the Mars Neptune
archetype.

MARS
PLUTO – THE OBSESSIVE WARRIOR

Pluto
is transiting square to the USA's Secondary Progressed Mars. EXACT! Pluto
tends to intensify whatever it touches. Pluto to Mars is a ruthless combination.
You see it in the birth horoscopes of people like JFK and Muhammad Ali.
They are either the agents or receivers of brutality and often both.

Mars
is transiting square to the USA Pluto, which further reinforces the pattern.
The renowned cosmobiologist Reinhold Ebertin described Mars Pluto as ,
'putting a gun to one's head'. The combination of aggressive Mars with
intense Pluto can accompany exaggerated acts of violence or war.

Now
before you start thinking that World War III is about to break out, quite
often we can have a convincing line up of planets and nothing major transpires.
Or more correctly nothing right at that time. In fact the beginning horoscopes
of WWI and WWII are evidence of this. They looked quite innocuous by themselves.
It was what was happening prior in the skies that could be attributed
to the eventual conflicts.

THE BIG PICTURE

Nothing
happens entirely of itself – everything is relative and situations
build upon themselves over a period of time. Back in April 2014 dire things
were expected as an ominous Grand Cross tied in with the birth Sun of
the USA. It was what was building behind the scenes that counted.

April
of 2014 came on the heels of Russia reclaiming Crimea. April was the month
that the USA imposed economic sanctions on Russia. Such sanctions can
be a prelude to war – they are doubtlessly a form of financial warfare
– and things haven't been the same since. So this could be regarded
as the revival of the Cold War.

Something
else took place in the April of 2014. Thomas Picketty's 'Capitalism in
the 21st Century' was translated from the French into English. One month
later it was topping the New York Times best seller list. That describes
a nation at a grand 'crossroads', the bastion of capitalism self reflecting
on the changing face of economics in a rapidly changing world.

The
Grand Cross is far from finished in its social effect. Such powerful aspect
patterns are a starting point. They represent the original shift in consciousness.
They play out in sometimes subtle and yet with the wisdom of hindsight,
in blatantly obvious ways - forever true to the planetary signatures involved.

THE
DRUMS ARE BEATING

Returning
to the SuperMoon. On Friday, Hawaii sounded the nuclear alarm for the
first time since the Cold War. The mentality and the mood is akin to Mars
reigning happily in his battle castle of Scorpio. Mars and Neptune - Mars
and Pluto. This can be true of US naval outposts or activities involving
the Seventh Fleet, some which I have already written about in the weekly
commentaries.

The
SuperMoon trilogy, just like Star Wars is about to begin. The drums are
beating. Mars Neptune is even happening on an internal level with retired
General Michael Flynn's (Mars) admission of lying (Neptune) to the FBI,
expanding on the Trump connections involved in the Russian probe. Or the
Republican tax cuts, chiefly benefiting the rich, further deepening the
political divide.

Remember,
this Moon cycle is a repeat of 19 years ago in keeping with the Metonic
Cycle. In December 1998 President Bill Clinton ordered war planes on a
bombing raid over Iraq. And many thought cynically it was to divert attention
away from his looming impeachment, which duly arrived December 19, the
day after the New Moon. More
next week.

NOV
26

Last
week on November 19 we covered Saturn
in Capricorn, especially in light of the Saturn Pluto cycle re igniting
by 2020 and the enormous ramifications that has produced historically.
If you missed it click here for the
link. Right at the end of the article I advised keeping a close watch
on Egypt during this lunation cycle.

On
Friday November 24 2017, gunmen attacked worshippers at the al-Rawda mosque
in the North Sinai. It was Egypt's worst ever terrorist attack claiming
over 300 lives with approximately another 100 injured.

The
mosque was associated with the mystical practise of Sufism, common to
around 15% of Egyptian Muslims. Many of the hardline Sunni sects view
Sufis as heretics and they have become an ISIS target. But most unusually,
ISIS hasn't claimed any responsibility for this atrocity.

There
is also another much more suspicious connection with the timing of the
attack. The Rafah Gateway, the sole border crossing between the Palestinian
Gaza Strip and Egypt was due to be opened (it had been closed since August)
the very next day. This was as a result of Egyptian sponsored peace talks
between the rival factions of Hamas and Fatah. A peace deal was reached
at dawn, October 11, in Cairo.

It
would appear that somebody, or even state actors clearly didn't want the
Rafah Gate opened. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has put that
on indefinite hold. Gaza has been isolated by a blockade on both its Israeli
and Egyptian borders for 11 years. This week I show why I thought Egypt
would be a November hotspot and analyse the planetary patterns that affect
this ancient land.

POLITICAL
FORECASTING AND THE LUNATION CYCLE

A
lunation cycle is the 29 ½ day period from one New Moon to the
next. The current cycle began at 11.42 am Universal Time on November 18
2017. The position of the Sun was 26 degrees of Scorpio. This degree area
has a special connection with critical events and people in the history
of modern Egypt.

The
current Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was born November 19 1954
with his Sun between 26 and 27 degrees of Scorpio
and square lethal Pluto at 26 of Leo.

The
Luxor Massacre, taking 62 lives, took place on the morning of November
17 1997 with the Sun positioned at 25 degrees of
Scorpio.

The
Suez Canal opened on November 17 1869 with the Sun
at 25 degrees of Scorpio. The canal was owned and operated primarily
by overseas interests, begun via forced local labor and for many years
Egypt had no representation on the Suez Canal Company board and saw little
of its profits.

Egyptian
President Gabdel Nasser eventually paid out the investors and nationalised
the Suez Canal on the evening of July 26 1956 with Saturn
at 26 degrees of Scorpio. Three days later Israel invaded Egypt,
followed by Great Britain and France.

Egypt
successfully invaded and reclaimed the Sinai from the Arab/Israeli War
beginning October 6 1973 with Venus at 26 degrees
of Scorpio.

On
November 19 1977 Egyptian President Anwar Sadat visited Tel Aviv and became
the first Arab leader to officially recognise Israel. The Sun was between
26 and 27 degrees of Scorpio.

On
October 6 1981, whilst viewing a military parade to commemorate the Yom
Kippur War, President Sadat was assassinated. Venus and rebellious Uranus
were in conjunction between 26 and 27 degrees of
Scorpio.

I
think you get the picture. These are some of the things I looked in deciding
the importance of the November 18 New Moon at 26 degrees of Scorpio for
Egypt. And so it played out.

A
FAR BIGGER MASSACRE

As
terrible as the attack on the Bir al-Abed mosque is, it is dwarfed by
the death toll of the Raba massacre. That began from 7 am on August 14
2013. The Egyptian army violently dispersed a six week sit in at Raba
Square Cairo, protesting against the military coup that ousted their democratically
elected government. Over 800 were killed with another 4,000 plus injured.

General
Abdul Fattah al-Sisi – now President - sanctioned that operation.
Egypt today is a far cry from the rich kingdoms of the Pharaohs in the
glorious Valley of the Nile. Tightly controlled by strong-arm military
rule, the country stands as a stark example of 'deep state' bureaucracy
with western puppeteers pulling the financial strings.

Foreign
intervention was always on the cards from 16.29 hours June 24 2012, when
Mohammed Morsi was announced as the winner of Egypt's first democratic
presidential election. Morsi, representing the Freedom and Justice Party
was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood. The Islamists had gained control.

Morsi
was unable to convince the International Monetary Federation to finance
government loans. Egypt's foreign reserves fell from $36 billion to $13
billion. There was a flight of foreign capital as Standard and Poors downgraded
Egypt's credit rating. Morsi meanwhile was rewriting the constitution
as his populace was growing restless.

One
year into his presidency Morsi was given an ultimatum by his newly appointed
Defence Minister General Abdul al-Sisi – resign and call new elections.
By 10 am July 4 2013, an interim leader was sworn in as the General, despite
public denials, prepared his presidential bid.

There
was no irony or accident about the date – July 4 – and the
difficulty that western diplomats had in verbalising the word 'coup'.
But the Arab Spring had been sprung and it was back to business as usual.
Morsi was consigned to prison.

THE
SATURN FACTOR

Egyptian
government has evolved over thirty year periods coincident with the Saturn
cycle and its transit of Libra. This period times a stronger nationalist
sentiment and fight for autonomy. It is something that I had discussed
with my astro friend (now deceased) Jeff Jawer and inspired an article
for his website StarIq. Using this formula Hosni Mubarak's fall from grace
was forecast before it happened. It goes like this.

The
founding of modern Egypt dates to the self declared Khedive, Muhammad
Ali. He took command on May 17 1805 and reformed the culture, economy
and military thereafter. His dynasty continued with the approval of the
Ottomans and later Great Britain, surviving until 1952. It began with
Saturn at 10 degrees of Libra and would end with Saturn at the same Libran
degree. Meantime in the 20th and 21st centuries.

This
doesn't mean we have to wait another thirty years for presidential change.
But it does suggest a stronger nationalist sentiment and therefore a leadership
change in the distant future from late 2039 onward. In the interim the
struggle for autonomy goes on.

For now the Egyptian Army still receive their financial package from the
US, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf monarchies are onside and the western banks
are re supplying Egypt. So why isn't it working better and why does Al-Sisi
still need to rule with an iron fist?

These are legitimate questions. Along with why Islamic State or ISIS have
not claimed responsibility for the mosque attack? They are always quick
to do so through their media networks. And why the attack was timed for
the day before the Gaza's Rafah Gate was due for a three day opening allowing
Palestinians right of passage?

The
current lunation cycle arrived coincident with the 40th anniversary of
Anwar Sadat's historic trip to Tel Aviv. Prophetically, Sadat said to
Israel's parliament, “Even if peace between all the confrontation
States and Israel were achieved, in the absence of a just solution to
the Palestinian problem, never will there be that durable and just peace
upon which the entire world insists today."

As
the cycle returns to 26 degrees of Scorpio his words ring truer than ever.
The burning question being, when will they be honoured? And what role
will Egypt ultimately play, with Al-Sisi due to face fresh elections no
later than next May. More next week.

NOV
19

SATURN
IN CAPRICORN

From
December 20 2017 until December 17 2020 – minus an Aquarian stopover
between March 22 and July 2 2020 – stringent Saturn will be moving
through customary Capricorn. Importantly it will also be meeting up with
Pluto, the reformer, on its journey. This week we check out the ramifications,
past and future.

Capricorn,
in a worldly sense, is the sign of conscious ambition crystallised. It
represents administration within corporations and governments alike. It's
the sign of the CEO. Like its symbol the mountain goat negotiating towering
mountain peaks, Capricorn views life from the top down.

Saturn
symbolises the responsibility of command. It is both the administrator
and critical judge. Saturn brings solidarity and form through contraction
and elimination. It is the planet of austerity and thrift. It also delivers
the lessons of time and experience and therefore extols the traditions
of the past.

Both
Saturn and Capricorn, by their very nature, identify with conservatism
and the status quo. Yet when an old cycle concludes and a new cycle begins,
change is the inevitable consequence. What we are looking at here is change
within societal structure and conception of government. The next three
years are vital for this.

Saturn's
last sojourn in Capricorn – active from February of 1988 until February
of 1991 - coincided with the collapse of the Soviet States and Eastern
Bloc of Europe. That monumental shift in global power came as Saturn also
met revolutionary Uranus and dissolving Neptune, also in Capricorn.

As
the Saturn Neptune cycle also signaled the Russian Revolution, astute
astrologers like Andre Barbault, forecast this breakup way ahead of time.
This time around, Saturn will be meeting up with reformative Pluto in
its Capricorn travels, although not until January of 2020. There are rare
historical correlations to this union, that are useful to examine.

SATURN
AND PLUTO IN CAPRICORN THROUGH THE AGES

Saturn
and Pluto met in Capricorn when the famous Assyrian King Sennacherib razed
Babylon, the 'big apple' of its day. This was his solution to the 'Babylon
Problem' – the ongoing resistance to Assyrian rule. Sennacherib
was a military leader, with little regard for Babylonian custom and religious
ritual.

This
event was big news in ancient Mesopotamia, but had its repercussions.
Even Assyrians were concerned at Sennacherib's destruction of Babylon's
temples and blatant disregard for the city's cultural tradition. Sennacherib
was later assassinated by his eldest son and his death was celebrated
as divine retribution by the Babylonians.

The
next conjunction of Saturn to Pluto in Capricorn proved decisive for the
Roman Empire. It marked the changeover from the Hellenistic Greek rule
of the Near East to Roman control. Antiouchus the Great lost his four
year battle against Roman domination and signed a peace deal – the
Treaty of Apamea - ceding territory all the way to the Taurus mountains
of Turkey.

The
next conjunction of 47 AD is recognised in Christian tradition as the
beginning year of St Paul's missionary work. He travels with Barnabas
to Cyprus and Galatia. Paul would not only have a pivotal effect on the
development of the new religion, (and the Roman Empire) but he also broke
with Peter, arguing that Gentile Christians do not have to follow Jewish
law.

ENDING
EMPIRES

What
we are getting out of all of this is that Saturn's conjunctions with Pluto,
in Capricorn, are certainly about transforming the status quo in a major
manner. Saturn's next union with purgative Pluto coincided with the Ostrogoths
sacking Rome in 549 AD.

But
let's jump ahead a millennium for brevity at this point. It has been written
that Saturn was in Capricorn for the beginning of the Reformation. Well
almost, it was at at 27 degrees of Sagittarius and about to enter Cap
and form another conjunction with Pluto when Martin Luther's 95 thesis
reportedly first appeared on a Wittenberg church door.

That
was on October 31 1517, but the results of his actions created a cataclysmic
religious shift and were certainly consistent with a dramatic Reformation
of the Establishment. Are the capitalistic TV evangelicals of today due
for another exposure? We shall see. The temptations of money and power
have certainly revealed such hypocrisy.

Reformation
aside, the November 1517 to November 1520 transit of Saturn through Capricorn
ranks as one of the most ground breaking of all. During these years Magellan
set sail on his world round trip and Hernan Cortes began his conquest
of the Aztec Empire.

Remember
that I am only examining the times here that Saturn has transited Capricorn
and met Pluto during its travel. The significance of this being that it
happens again on January 13 2020. But we can start to read the prevailing
trends well before the future conjunction. Also we will have a repeat
of groundbreaking Uranus in Taurus just as in that 1517 period.

One
conclusion is obvious and already showing signs of tumultuous change.
The Saturn Pluto conjunction of 2020 will be very close the Sun, Jupiter
Saturn and Ascendant quadruple conjunction of the House of Saud conquering
Riyadh horoscope. This alone will have enormous repercussions on the financial
world.

CAPRICORN
BANKING AND INVESTMENT

You'd
imagine that Saturn in Capricorn would have to have some connection with
the banks and the financial industry, being the literal pillars of the
'system'. And you'd be on the money. The Bank of England was given Royal
sanction on April 25 1694 and took subscriptions from June 15 the same
year with Saturn in Capricorn.

Ninety
years later, on June 9 1784, under the same alignment, the Bank of New
York opened in Lower Manhattan. These two cities have been at the hub
of capital enterprise for the last two centuries. That's one reason why
Pluto's entry into Capricorn in 2008 correlated with the global financial
meltdown?

Saturn
will surely test the solidarity of the recovery strategies. And as Saturn
corresponds with long term investments, such as real-estate and blue stock
chips, it's the established brands that feel the effects of the transit
most. Note its last transit of the late 80's and early 90's coincided
with western real-estate taking a tumble.

Last
time around, tycoons, like Alan Bond and Donald Trump, were courting bankruptcies.
The Australian Treasurer Paul Keating, a true Capricorn, had predicted
it all as the recession we had to have. After all, the Australian Federal
Government was sworn in at 13.36 hours in Centennial Park, Sydney on January
1 1901, with the Sun and Saturn both in Capricorn.

Saturn
in Capricorn surely warns against excessive speculation, as both err on
the side of caution and crave stability and surety. Saturn entering Capricorn
in 1929 was one of the big wake up calls that heralded the Great Depression
and led into its depths. It also provided the overture for the Long Recession
sixty years prior.

THE
US ECONOMY

The
USA celebrates a national birthday from July 4 1776. That means the leadership
Sun, value planet Venus and entrepreneurial Jupiter are all in Cancer.
When restrictive Saturn enters the opposing sign of Capricorn and simultaneously
transits their second house of wealth, the US economy gets a chill.

The
last time Saturn was in Capricorn, the Federal Reserve raised interest
rates and the economy slowed. The first invasion of Iraq took place, meaning
we're heading for the Saturn return of Middle East invasions. The end
result was George Bush Snr becoming a one term president, ending the Republican
run since 1981.

Wrapping
up on the economy. The US Federal Reserve is also a Capricorn Sun chart,
as the act was signed off on by Woodrow Wilson on December 23 1913 at
18.02 hours. The Sun is right at the start of Capricorn and opposite Pluto
in Cancer. It's another reason that Pluto moving into Capricorn in 2008
was bound to deliver an equities earthquake with multiple aftershocks.

This
year's Capricorn Ingress chart will have the Sun and Saturn sitting right
on the Sun of the Federal Reserve horoscope and squaring its Midheaven.
Pluto is closing in on the Federal Reserve Descendant and moving across
in December. Let's hope Donald Trump learnt something valuable from reading
Chapter Eleven.

Saturn in Capricorn can be a boon for some. It's not too hard to pick
up a bargain from the anxious sellers who have over extended their boundaries.
And that's the great lesson really. It reminds us to play within our limits
for lasting gains. Responsibility is a Saturn keyword and a natural Capricorn
progression.

The
last word is on this week's New Moon at 26-27 of Scorpio. It's very close
to the Egyptian President General al-Sisi's birth Sun. It also is close
to the degree of the opening of the Suez Canal. Lots happening between
Saudi Arabia and Egypt at the moment and they are two countries that figure
strongly in this new lunation cycle. Check below for its relevance to
your sun sign.

NOV
12

A
WAR OF WESTERN CREATION

It’s
hardly a state secret that the ‘war on terror’ has become
a war of our own creation. It’s a convenient tool allowing energy
companies to exploit the oil and gas rich Middle East. It’s morphed
into a means to justify expansive military budgets while simultaneously
keeping closer civilian surveillance on homeland whistleblowers and dissidents.

As
the needs of a burgeoning population swells, the need to create and control
compliant governments in these energy rich areas expands. That’s
why we are witnessing the dubious dichotomy of elitist monarchies being
armed and supported by so-called western democracies. But how long can
such duplicitous foreign policies suffice?

Surprise
– surprise! After reigning thousands of bombs on the humanitarian
crisis that is now Yemen, a lone missile lobs over Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
last week. It was a call for headlines in the Saudi and western press.
The solitary missile was reportedly ‘made in Iran’.

UNDER
NEW MANAGEMENT

A
series of mighty ‘coincidences’ accompanied this event. The
Lebanese Prime Minster strangely flew to Saudi Arabia to announce his
resignation. On Saturday evening, November 4, a coup took place in Riyadh.
It wasn’t a palace coup, it was a Carlton coup. Try the Ritz Carlton
Hotel. The company is based in Washington.

Holed
up in this luxurious prison, some of the most influential figures in the
Saudi dynasty, including the richest man in the kingdom, Prince Al-Waleed
bin Talal. Behind the coup, publicly advertised as a crackdown on corruption,
is Saudi’s 32-year-old Minister for Everything, Prince Mohammad
bin Salman.

Mohammad’s
father, King Salman symbolically rules Saudi Arabia. But he is eighty-one
years of age and suffering from Alzheimer's. Normally his brother, Prince
Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, a former head of Saudi Intelligence, would
be next in the line of succession.

But
strange things are happening (and will continue to) as revolutionary Uranus
squares the leadership Sun, royal Jupiter and Ascendant of the Saudi Arabian
January 15 1902 sunrise horoscope. These changes have been building for
some time.

THE
CONSTANCY OF COINCIDENCE

Prince
Muqrin was demoted by King Salman back on April 29 2015. Last Sunday,
just after the coup, it was reported that Prince Muqrin’s son was
killed in a helicopter crash. By fate or ‘coincidence’ all
possible contenders to the aging King’s throne were being systematically
eliminated.

Prince
Muqrin was born on September 15 1945. An activist group called the ‘September
15 Movement’ had marches planned for the same date this year to
protest youth unemployment, social inequality and repression. Days prior,
the protestors, some of the most influential clerics and scholars in the
kingdom, were arrested.

Donald
Trump is well behind the coup. A week prior, son-in-law Jared Kushner
was visiting Saudi Arabia, conducting late night meetings with the equally
young power behind the Saudi throne. It was Kushner’s third visit
this year. His previous was at the August 21 Solar Eclipse. All that awaits
now is the elderly King Salman’s abdication.

His
son, Prince Mohammad bin Salman, born 31 August 1985 in Jeddah, currently
has the firebrand and high risk combination of aggressive Mars progressed
to square rebellious Uranus. It's not going away in a hurry and will be
even more active in mid February and mid May of 2018.

FOLLOWING
THE MONEY AND THE ARMS

At
the heart if this is a carve up of the kingdom’s wealth with the
eventual privatization of national assets. Already $100 billion dollars
of frozen funds awaits the government’s coffers if alleged corruption
claims are carried through.

At
13.24 hours on May 20 2017 King Salman, whose Tweets average a wider readership
Donald Trump welcomed the US President to the Arab Summit at Riyadh. The
horoscope of the moment could not have been more revealing. Mars in the
Mercury ruled sign of Gemini was directly above Riyadh and at the Midheaven.

Mars
and the Midheaven of the moment were joined to the USA’s July 4
1776 Gemini birth Mars. They were also joined to Donald Trump’s
Gemini Sun. Later that day at 17.13 hours King Salman and Donald Trump
signed off on the biggest arms deal in history. Trump, a constant critic
of Iran, then urged the Gulf monarchies to unite against their Shi’ite
neighbour.

DEMONISING
THE ENEMY

The
west have never forgiven Iran for their Islamic Revolution and the overthrow
of the Shah. He had been a loyal servant when the CIA and M15 conspired
to remove the Iranian Prime Minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh, on August 19
1953. Mossadegh was forever consigned to house arrest for nationalizing
his country's oil industry.

The
2017 Great American Eclipse of 2017, occurring on August 21 has reignited
the Sun’s late Leo degree position of the overthrow of Mosaddegh.
And the recent ‘biggest ever arms deal’ was signed at the
Arab Summit held across May 20-22, with the Sun in an approaching square
to the same August eclipse degree.

The
1979 Islamic Revolution again nationalized Iran’s oil industry.
Since then Iran has proved one of the few Middle Eastern countries to
successfully resist western political domination. On February 17 2008
they went one step further, creating the Iranian Oil Bourse.

The
Iranian Oil Bourse is situated on Kish Island in the Persian Gulf and
is an oil and petrochemicals exchange which trades in all currencies –
except the US dollar. It offers a challenge to the hegemony of the US
dollar (and the Saudi created ‘petrodollar’) as a global currency.

When
Iran signaled the intention to launch the exchange via the Internet, underwater
cables were mysteriously cut. For the last half century, the US dollar
has been the global reserve currency. Oil dependent nations are forced
to trade in and reinforce its strength.

PLUTO
AND THE DOLLAR

Previous
leaders that have bypassed the US dollar to trade oil are Saddam Hussein
and Muammar Gaddafi. Syria’s Bashar al-Assad is the other. The remarkable
coincidences here are all of military interventions. If the dollar is
weakened, via fewer countries trading, it will force the US to raise interest
rates to make it more attractive to investors but also increasing living
costs and blowing out the budget.

Note
Iran began their oil bourse in 2008, coincident with Pluto moving into
Capricorn for the year of the global meltdown. Pluto, promising a transformation
of the world's financial system, has yet to complete its cycle through
this sign. It will hit the Saudi’s Sun in 2020 and by 2022 the US
Pluto return will be underway.

Meantime,
the planetary pattern of Saudi militancy and Trump’s impatience
to scuttle the Iranian nuclear deal, seems tied to the original May 20
Riyadh Summit, the August 21 American eclipse (reviving the Sun position
of the Mossadegh overthrow) and the upcoming Solar eclipse of February
16 2018 – occurring on the Sun position of the Iranian Oil Bourse.

The
combination of those dates exhibits a strong emphasis of the Sun occupying
the late degrees of a fixed sign. It’s heading that way now, making
the period around November 20th and 21st also an important developmental
window to watch. But whatever unfolds, you’re probably not going
to read too much about the US dollar or the Iranian Oil Bourse from western
media outlets.

November
5

LOCATION
LOCATION

This
morning, Sunday 4, Donald Trump will touch down in Japan. It is the first
port of call on an Asian trip that will also take in South Korea, China,
Vietnam and the Philippines. As the US aims to strengthen its influence
and ties in the Pacific, the visit may be his most important undertaking
yet.

Whenever
you travel a significant distance, you also change the dynamics of your
birth horoscope. You strengthen certain planets and lessen the influence
of others. That’s one reason why you can totally resonate with some
areas and others can be like having a holiday in hell. Location really
makes a difference.

A
planets potential is dramatically increased when it is rising, setting,
culminating or at the base of your chart. And at the precise moment of
your birth each of the planets were doing that at some location on the
earth’s surface. It’s why some people find success by following
their fate lines – literally.

The
President of the USA is taken to be the most powerful position on the
planet. The planetary lines of whoever occupies that office are going
to tell us a lot about what impact they will make on the world and just
as importantly – where and when. A study of past presidents shows
how.

ROOSEVELT
AND THE PANAMA PLAN

Theodore
Roosevelt became President unexpectedly, at 3 pm on September 14 1901
in Buffalo. The sudden inauguration took place at the home of his close
friend Ansley Wilcox, following the assassination of William McKinley.
Roosevelt, born October 27 1858 @ 19.45 hours in New York, had the king
planet Jupiter rising precisely through Buffalo at birth.

McKinley
was not so fortunate. His Secondary Progressed Mars (the planet of guns
and aggression) was rising within the proximity of Buffalo when, and where,
he was shot. One man’s misfortune was another’s opportunity.
Roosevelt is one of four Presidents carved into the rock face of Mt Rushmore.

Roosevelt
was known for his macho image, hunting and military exploits. His Jupiter
adjoined the US birth Mars. He was not averse to using force to advance
US interests – most notably on one of his pet projects, the Panama
Canal. It’s history now that when the Colombian Senate rejected
the US proposal, Washington organized an uprising.

The
planet of revolution is Uranus. Roosevelt’s Uranus ran right through
the Panama Canal. Money was funneled to fund rebel forces under the leadership
of a major investor, Philippe Bunau-Varilla. When the Colombian government
moved to quell insurrection, US troops also moved in to ‘protect
American interests’.

The
end result was that the USA assumed sovereignty over the Panama Canal
and Roosevelt boasted, “I took Panama”. Roosevelt’s
Uranus (which was also angled powerfully to his Mars) had strongly impacted
on the Panamanian independence movement, precisely at that location.

TRUMAN
– ATOMIC BOMB AND KOREAN WAR

Harry
S Truman was another who was sworn in suddenly due to the death of Franklin
D Roosevelt. Truman’s unexpected inauguration took place at 7 pm
April 12 1945, after he was hastily called to the White House. Eleanor
Roosevelt had earlier informed him of her husband’s passing.

The
story goes that Truman immediately asked the former first lady if there
was anything he could do for her. Eleanor’s reply was: "Is
there anything we can do for you? For you are the one in trouble now."
The US and Japan were still locked into battle in the final stages of
WWII.

Truman
was born at 4 pm on May 8 1894 in Lamar, Missouri. At that time Pluto,
the planet of death and destruction, was rising through the Korean peninsula
and close to Nagasaki. Truman was faced with unleashing the most terrifying
weapon ever used in war – the atomic bomb.

Hiroshima
was the first target and three days later on August 9, Nagasaki became
the second and last city to experience the holocaust. There is more to
this. When the first atom bomb exploded in the deserts of New Mexico,
Pluto was setting across Japan.

As
for Truman, he couldn’t escape the Pluto. Not only was it rising
through North and South Korea at his birth, but it was also placed at
the nadir of the chart in North and South Korea at his sudden swearing
in. Truman sent American troops into the equally destructive Korean War
on June 27 1950, two days after the outbreak of hostilities.

VIETNAM
AND THE MOVE TO ASIA

There
are many other examples. LBJ was born with his Pluto line on the nadir
over Hanoi. The Vietnam War undermined his presidency and led to Johnson
declining to re nominate. The following President, Richard Nixon, (January
9 1913 @ 21.35 hours in Whittier CA) was born with foggy and deceptive
Neptune, at the nadir over Vietnam.

Nixon
fought what was ultimately a losing battle. Well before his resignation
he had ordered a troop withdrawal. Neptune was also at the Midheaven over
Washington at Nixon’s birth. The sea king eroded Nixon’s authority
and public office (Midheaven) via the deception of Watergate.

One
lasting legacy of Nixon’s tenure was the establishment of diplomatic
relations with China. The planet of longevity, Saturn, was rising over
Beijing at Nixon’s birth. In his natal chart Saturn falls in his
ninth house of distant lands and exotic cultures.

As
a Capricorn, Saturn was an important planet for Nixon and the China trip
was conceived at his second Saturn return. Nixon met Mao Zedong at his
Jupiter and Saturn returns. The transit of Saturn was moving over Nixon's
relocated Ascendant in China when he touched down on February 21 1972.

George
W Bush is another whose astro-geography matched his presidency. Here,
the destructive Pluto was rising in New York at his birth. While he didn’t
organize 911 – unless you believe the conspiracy theories –
the carnage certainly defined his ‘watch’.

George
W’s war planet Mars was at its highest point – the Midheaven
– over Afghanistan, when he was born on July 6 1946 at 07.26 hours
in New Haven, Connecticut. On September 11 2001 Bush’s Secondary
Progressed Sun had advanced to the Midheaven above Afghanistan.

TRUMP
AND THE ASIAN PIVOT

So
as Donald Trump heads to Asia there are some vital clues his astromap
can offer. And for my regular readers, apologies if you’ve read
some of this before but its important to repeat at this point in time.
The standout for Trump is his aggressive Mars setting right on Pyongyang,
the home of his nemesis, North Korean leader, Kim Jong un.

If
the planet is setting then it denotes a rivalry as the setting point delivers
a seventh house, signaling the influence of others. Mars here is an extremely
competitive placement. To further explain, Trump was born with the same
planet rising above Washington. This sums up his military appointments
and under his watch, connects Washington militarily, to the Korean peninsula.

As
an aside to Mars setting in Pyongyang, his Mars is rising in Washington.
That also describes the battles that the President fights with Congress
and how he projects his agitation globally from the White House. Back
to Korea and Trump’s Secondary Progressed Sun is also setting here,
right across the 38th parallel.

Trump’s
Progressed Sun is indicating the strong focus on the relationship with
Korea and South Korea in particular. But either way there seems to be
this weaponry connection via his birth Mars also setting across the peninsula.
These placements also accurately describe Trump’s impulsive and
unprecedented threats to destroy North Korea.

His
Pluto, recall this is also potent on the destructive side, was setting
just inside the North Korean/China border. Any plan to destabilize North
Korea to the point of regime collapse would certainly have serious repercussions
for China, the economic rival of the USA.
TIMING THE PROGRESSIONS

The
timing of his trip for November 2017 places Trump’s secondary progressed
Moon and Mercury, the planet of commerce, negotiation and information
both setting near Beijing. This smacks of trade talks – a need for
discussion, dialogue, contracts or treaties.

It
is hard to see this visit being anything other than a more public display
of the Asian pivot, initiated by the Obama administration and advanced
by Trump’s accent on further funding the military. Mars and Pluto
are his predominate birth planets in the Asian Pacific. Can he keep them
under control?

The
fact that they are setting gives that seventh house functioning via ‘allies
and enemies’. His Mars line running right through Taipei, Taiwan,
his Pluto close by Hong Kong are all potentially inflammatory. His Sun
at the nadir across Tokyo and his Moon at the Midheaven gives a strong
Japanese union.

At
the heart of this is the battle for economic control as the financial
flow moves from west to east. Old habits die hard. Many countries are
caught between trading partners and military allegiances. What we do know
is that astromapping works. And in a world of fake news it helps in keeping
one step ahead of the war hawks and political spin.

October
29

JUPITER
ADJUDICATES

When
the leadership Sun and Jupiter meet up in the heavens its not simply about
opportunity and growth. Jupiter is also related to high courts and the
effect of legal judgements on leadership.

Australia's
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull found that out, right on time. The High
Court disqualified his Deputy, Barnaby Joyce, right on the Sun Jupiter
conjunction. Simultaneously, across the wide Pacific, the first results
of Robert Mueller's 2016 election investigation finally dawned. We've
only just begun.

JUPITER
AND THE JUDICIARY

On
Friday, October 27 2017, special prosecutor Robert Mueller filed the first
charges of his investigation into Russian meddling to assist Donald Trump
in the 2016 presidential election. Mueller took over the investigation
after Trump fired the FBI director, James Comey, back on May 9.

Trump
gave conflicting accounts of the sacking, finally confessing that he was
unhappy that Comey hadn't publicly cleared him of Russian collusion. Since
then evidence has surfaced that Donald Jnr, had indeed convened a meeting
with Russian collaboratives in the hope of digging dirt on his father's
Democrat opponent.

This
came after the President was forced to sack his national security advisor,
Mike Flynn, for misleading information regarding Russian correspondence.
And not before Trump had fired the acting Attorney General, Sally Yates,
after she had informed him that Flynn was a security risk.

WATERGATE
TWO?

The
multiple sackings, and Trump's constant denials, contrary to intelligence
findings, bring to mind the Saturday Night Massacre of Richard Nixon.
Parallels are growing between Nixon's Watergate cover up and the Trump's
campaign's potential obfuscation.

Both
involved illegal break ins and stolen information from political opponents.
Nixon's was a physical break into the Democrat headquarters at Watergate.
Trump's allegedly involves cybercrime - computer hacking and email thefts
connected to Russian operatives.

There
are also astrological parallels to both. The Watergate break in was discovered
at 01.55 am June 17 1972 and the burglars arrested at 2:30 a.m, while
setting up surveillance bugs in the Democratic National Committee offices.
Trump's campaign was launched at 11.21 am on June 16 2016.

The
Sun's in the horoscopes of the Watergate break in and Trump's campaign
are conjunct to within a degree. Trump's original campaign manager was
Roger Stone, the self proclaimed 'Dirty Trickster', who remains proud
of his involvement with Nixon and Watergate to this day.

THE
SUN JUPITER CYCLE OF JUSTICE

The
first trial for the Watergate burglary began on January 8 1973 with the
Sun closing on a conjunction with Jupiter. All five arrested pleaded guilty
as charged. The Sun Jupiter cycle officially began on January 10, virtually
timing the beginning of case.

The
first charges of the Mueller investigation were also lodged as the Sun
and Jupiter came together, initiating a fresh Sun Jupiter cycle which
began 24 hours previous. The relevance of Jupiter here is that it represents
judicial matters, jurisprudence and justice – all derivatives from
the king planet's name.

The
synodic Sun Jupiter cycle begins with the heavenly union of the two and
advances toward their opposition, before eventually returning to start
anew. It's much in the same way that a New Moon leads to a Full Moon and
back to a New Moon. Factored in, like the First and Last Quarter Moons,
are the Sun and Jupiter squares.

Using
Watergate as the historical example, approximately two weeks after the
first square the televised hearings of Watergate began. As the Sun and
Jupiter moved toward opposition, when the giant planet shines brightest
in the night skies, President Nixon refused to hand over vital tape recordings
to the Senate Watergate Committee.

His
refusal came July 23 1973 and the opposition (in orb of aspect), perfected
by July 30. The opposition ultimately has a a revelatory effect and Nixon's
reticence to submit incriminating evidence surely suggested he had something
sinister to hide. Later findings would reveal the tapes had been partly
erased.

SATURDAY
NIGHT MASSACRE

The
Sun Jupiter cycle reached its closing square on November 27 1973. The
closing square often acts as the climax following the revelation of the
opposition. Events by then are in free fall, like a wave reaching its
maximum amplitude before crashing back down. On the night of October 23,
Nixon carried out his infamous Saturday Night Massacre.

Nixon's
carnage began by demanding the Attorney General sack the Watergate prosecutor.
When his Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General both resigned over
this order, Nixon appointed a third who abolished the office of the special
prosecutor. Nixon's repressive move set in motion impeachment proceedings.

Nixon
fought on, into the next Sun Jupiter cycle. This one would prove decisive.
By the opposition point on September 6 1974 Nixon was no longer in office.
Instead, the opposition coincided with a presidential pardon, issued by
his successor Gerald Ford on September 8 1974. The controversial pardon
also sealed Ford's fate and he was beaten at the subsequent election.

WHERE
TO FROM HERE?

The
current Sun Jupiter cycle began early afternoon Washington time on October
26 2017. The following day Robert Mueller's first charges were lodged.
If we are to use the same cycle as a gauge of future timings then we can
expect significant developments to accompany the first square of February
10 and the opposition point of May 8 2018.

How
might that play out. Well it must be remembered that Nixon won the 1972
election in a landslide and the popular vote by 18 million votes or 61%
of the voting public. He took 520 of the Electoral College votes. And
it was his second term. That's why impeaching him took so long.

Trump lost the popular vote by 3 miilion and won via the Electoral College.
He has hardly even broken 40% approval in his honeymoon year. So unless
he is able to turn those figures around it will be a lot easier for his
own Republican Party to remove him if enough evidence of collusion surfaces
in Mueller's investigation.

That's why the first quarter of 2018 becomes so important. Not only does
it represent the opposition point of the Sun Jupiter cycle and point to
greater revelations coming forth. But also it locks in with other cycles
prevalent in the birth horoscope of the USA.

The
Sun Jupiter cycle is but one and must be analysed in the context of what
it represents, which is why I have used the Nixon example when examining
a leader (the Sun) and a legal process (Jupiter). There are other factors
that help pinpoint time windows in the current situation. The erosion
of office and clandestine activities can be also connected to Neptune
and its effect on the national horoscope.

I
have already written on the obfuscation and gaslighting concerning the
presidency of the USA. It is revealed by the recurring transit of Neptune
across the progressing US birth Sun. The Neptune transit also squares
the Sagittarius Ascendant of the Sibly July 4 1776 17.10 hours Philadelphia
horoscope, creating a cloud of confusion over international relations.

Neptune
also shows strong activity in the February March period of 2018. So it's
here that both cycles coincide. And that's the kind of overlap that is
useful when timing the potential of future events. More on forecasting
with this kind of cycle work in subsequent columns.

TURNBULL'S
TURMOIL

On
Friday October 27, at 14.15 hours, the Australian High Court ruled five
parliamentary members ineligible under the citizenship laws of the Australian
Constitution. Included was the Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, who
had refused calls to step down until the matter was resolved. Now he has
no choice.

The landmark ruling effectively left the nation with a hung parliament
and forced an about face from Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, who confidently
predicted that the courts would rule in his favour. This is something
I wrote about in the September Journal of the Federation of Australian
Astrologers.

Turnbull's turmoil could be accurately forecast by examining the horoscope
of his swearing in chart. I am reproducing the analysis below in the quotation
marks. It gets a little technical but will be useful for any astrologers
to note how precise astrology can be with these matters.

"Malcolm
Turnbull was sworn in as Australia's Prime Minister, right on schedule,
at 9 am July 19 2016 in Canberra. The horoscope of that moment should
show the potential of his tenure henceforth, and timings, using standard
astrological techniques of Solar Arc Directions, Secondary Progressions
and Transits in relation to the swearing in chart should pick the dates.

The
horoscope itself reveals the inherent prospectives. The mundane significators
of the leader are the Sun and the Midheaven. These are examined in light
of the aspects they are casting and/or receiving. The closest aspects
will trigger first so time for some technicalities.

The
Midheaven is 12GEM45 is and squared by the 'eclipsing nodal axis of 13VIR37
and obfuscating Neptune 11PIS43. Saturn positioned at 10SAG17 opposes
the Midheaven. On August 13 2017, transiting Mercury would station retro
at 11VIRG38, opposing Neptune and activating this entire pattern. Although
the transit acts to trigger, the bigger picture is contained in the Solar
Arc.

As
the Nodes and the Neptune appear closely squared – just over one
degree – we can anticipate by rule of thumb (one degree equals a
year) that Turnbull is going to have some sort of Neptunian mix-up, mystery
or confusion, which could potentially cloud or eclipse (Nodal Axis) his
authority. And it will manifest roughly a year into his term, judging
from the Midheaven aspects alone.

The
26CAN 43 Sun is positioned in semisquare to the Nodes and in exact sesquisquare
(no orb) to Neptune. This exactness means that both bodies (Sun + Neptune)
will receive aspects simultaneously. The Sun is also sesquisquare Saturn
and at the focal point of a quadriform aspect pattern with the Saturn
and Neptune.

The
Sun squares the Midheaven by just over one degree, confirming the earlier
timing estimate. The Sun is also separating from a semisquare from Uranus.
At this point it is stating the obvious that overall this is a volatile
swearing in horoscope that will deliver its promise of radical change
sometime from August of 2017 based on the aspects below perfecting.

The
way it played out was Neptunian typical ambiguity. At 10.03 am on August
14, Australia's Deputy Prime Minister, Barnaby Joyce, announced he held
a New Zealand citizenship. Under the Article 44 of the Australian Constitution
dual citizenship disqualifies one from holding parliamentary office. Joyce
was in limbo. He was one of many now awaiting a High Court ruling.

As
for Turnbull's swearing in horoscope, the transit of Neptune obscures
the Midheaven through until February next year, unstable Uranus will square
the Sun from October through to March and Solar Arc Saturn is heading
to sesquisquare the Sun by January. Constitutional crisis or not the road
is rocky and it shows that you don't necessarily need a leader's natal
details when a timed swearing in chart is available."

Note
too how well the ruling correlated with the two national horoscopes for
Australia.

Oct
22

URANUS
TURNING THE TABLES

The current New Moon cycle began opposite rebellious
Uranus and is emphasizing insurrection and uncertainty around leaders
and leadership. Donald Trump, born with his Sun combined with Uranus,
is feeling the adverse effects of the Uranus reversal. And it's stemming
from his own party.

The
critiques began with Senator John McCain claiming that the US had abrogated
international leadership in favour of a 'half baked spurious nationalism.'
McCain, a decorated serviceman and prisoner of war was earlier ridiculed
by Trump, who during his campaign claimed he preferred war heroes who
don't get captured.

McCain
let loose“...to refuse the obligations of international leadership
and our duty...for the sake of some half-baked, spurious nationalism cooked
up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems, is
as unpatriotic as an attachment to any other tired dogma of the past that
Americans consigned to the ash heap of history."

Come
Thursday it was former Republican President George W Bush's turn claiming,
“Bigotry seems emboldened. Our politics seem more vulnerable to
conspiracy theories and outright fabrication.”

He
echoed McCain's thoughts, “We’ve seen nationalism distorted
into nativism — forgotten the dynamism that immigration has always
brought to America. We see a fading confidence in the value of free markets
and international trade — forgetting that conflict, instability
and poverty follow in the wake of protectionism.”

In
a clear rebuke to the divisive national tone set by Trump, Bush added
that, “Bullying and prejudice in our public life sets a national
tone, provides permission for cruelty and bigotry and compromises the
moral education of children.” A third critique came Thursday evening
via the Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan.

If
there was any further proof of the House Speaker building the bonfire
under his President, they came as he addressed the 72nd annual Al Smith
dinner in New York.

While
it is standard to roast political opponents, the House Speaker, aimed
most of his zingers at the Republican President instead. He systematically
dismantled Trump, category by category.

Ego
- “Cardinal Dolan gave a benediction at President Trump’s
inaugural. There was just this one kind of awkward moment when the cardinal
talked about the infallible, enlightened supreme being. The president
stood up and took a bow.”

Disrespect
- “I know last year that Donald Trump offended some people. I know
his comments, according to critics, went too far. Some said it was unbecoming
of a public figure, and they said that his comments were offensive. Well,
thank God he’s learned his lesson.”

Draining
the Swamp
- "I don't think I've seen this many New York liberals, this many
Wall Street CEOs in one room since my last visit to the White House."

Instability
- “The press absolutely misunderstands and never records the big
accomplishments of the White House ... Look at all the new jobs the president
has created — just among the White House staff."

On
Trump allegedly being called a moron by his own Secretary of State
- “A Hollywood Republican. That is an oxymoron. Which is clearly
the word that Rex Tillerson was searching for.”

Russian
election probe
- “Given the current investigation, I too can see Russia from the
White House”.

Trump's
Tweets
- “Every morning, I wake up in my office and I scroll Twitter to
see which tweets that I’ll have to pretend that I did not see later
on.”

Ryan
gleefully took his opportunity to use the guise of humour to say what
the majority are thinking of their Commander in Chief. The criticisms
arrived in a week where Trump is embroiled in further controversy over
his comments regarding Americans killed in the service of their country.

JUDGEMENTAL
SATURN

The
critics come as Saturn, the establishment planet, completes its year long
opposition to Trump's Gemini Sun. The last vestiges of the opposition,
which has been more focused from July this year, represents the climax
and culmination of its purpose.

Saturn
is the planet most aligned to responsibility, maturity and an ability
to work within frameworks and limitations. The ringed planet represents
organisation and administration. It relates to the lessons of experience,
self discipline and the assumption of senior positions.

Saturn
is the preserver of traditions and the planet of karmic judgement. It's
not unusual that Trump would field the same from senior Republicans, although
Ryan represents a direct opponent.

The
height of Saturn's opposition came when it moved from retrograde to direction
motion, coincident with the August 21 Solar Eclipse. This came in the
wake of the Charlottesville riots, when the reality of Trump's philosophies
hit home and his approval rating reached its lowest ebb.

What
followed were natural disasters, starting in Texas and moving to Puerto
Rico, where Trump's insensitive comments on the island's debt and death
toll comparison with Hurricane Katrina went down like a lead balloon.

THE ART OF DIVISION

In
between was sandwiched an inflammatory address to the United Nations,
portraying Trump, along with Kim Jong un, as the man most likely to initiate
World War III.

If
Saturn was about restraint and responsibility in positions of seniority,
then the clear 'reality' was that the President was flunking the test.
As if he needed further negative publicity, it came uninvited through
the back door, via the actions of Harvey Weinstein.

The
publicity of the Hollywood producer, Weinstein, as a sexual predator,
conjured memories of Trump's Hollywood Access recording. The Weinstein
story broke practically on the first anniversary of the release of Trump's
damning conversation that he casually dismissed as locker room talk.

Only
the timely release of a trove of Democrat emails, within an hour of the
Hollywood Access tapes, deflected the impact of an event with the potential
to disqualify him from the presidential race.

THE
PLUTO PATTERN

There
is a clear astrological theme that runs through Trump's demeaning remarks
of women, the exposure of that conversation with Billy Bush and the Harvey
Weinstein revelations.

On
September 16 2005 when Trump was recorded saying, "And when you're
a star, they let you do it, you can do anything... grab them by the pussy"
the male Sun was in square to Pluto. Think
symbolically – Pluto's rape of Persephone, or as the Romans would
have it – Proserpina.

On
October 7 2016 as Trump's remarks were made public, with the video by
the Washington Post, the Sun was in exact square to Pluto. And on October
5 2017, as the Harvey Weinstein accusations surfaced the Sun was back
in the same degrees and squaring Pluto.

October,
and the last vestiges of Saturn in opposition to his birth Sun, has been
a difficult month for the President. Fellow Republicans are beginning
to distance themselves. If Trump is to be removed through official channels
it has to be via accumulated evidence and effort.

One
reason that he seemed immune to prior challenges sailing through controversies
that would have derailed other candidates, was that his horoscope was
not showing negativity at the time. But times have changed - and with
it, the planets.

Trump's
predictable reaction is to leap onto Twitter and change and control the
narrative, often on the advice of Roger Stone or Steve Bannon. The latest
red herring is to release the files of the 1963 Kennedy assassination.
Anything to deflect from his own responsibilities. It won't wash over
time.

There's more to come late this year. And as I have mentioned in prior
columns, especially around March and through to May 2018. That is a critical
time. We are witnessing an enigma with the big question being - how much
longer can it last?

Wrapping
up, one month ago I was asked on Facebook about Jacinda Ardern's chances
in the New Zealand national election of September 23. My reply was that
victory wouldn't happen immediately (on election night) but to have faith
in her chances. Multiple Jupiter aspects were swinging her way - given
time. And they will only get better.

On election night the sitting Prime Minister, Bill English, polled ten
seats ahead of Jacinda, who nevertheless improved her parties previous
performance. Last week Jacinda, at only 37, became the New Zealand Prime
Minister through the support of the NZ First Party. It's been a meteoric
rise and her best is yet to come.

October
15

JUPITER IN SCORPIO – GODS OR MONSTERS

When
Howard Carter peered incredulously into the time capsule of Tutankhamen's
tomb, death and life met as one. Three thousand years plus met in an eye
blink. And from the artifacts of that ancient burial site we learnt much
about humankind's deepest fears and greatest hopes. It's the sort of thing
that happens when exploratory Jupiter penetrates the depths of Scorpio.

Jupiter
in Scorpio will give new meaning, to once taboo subjects, as faith and
understanding will grow out of superstition and fear. And we can all learn,
like Carter, that it only takes an eye blink, just one single moment to
change a life for eternity. Even death will yield its secrets -Andrew
Stimpson, became first person to have been 'cured' of AIDS - the last
time beneficial Jupiter transited transformative Scorpio.

Scorpio
works at the subterranean level of survival, like a childhood fear of
the dark. Jupiter, the planetary guru, reminds that whilst there is a
certain wisdom in treating the unknown with respectful caution, only by
shining a torch into our own abyss do we tap into and master our greater
potential. Having Jupiter, expand our awareness beyond trepidation, spells
the difference between the entrapment of sailing off the end of the world
toward the confidence to circumnavigate it.

Yet
nothing great comes easy. Fear, whether baseless or not, is a real thing.
Moving beyond its limitations can be a scary journey. Courage is an essential
part of the antidote. It has to be faced directly before it dissolves.
Those born with Jupiter in Scorpio seem to make that confrontation part
of their life's work.

TOTEM
AND TABOO

Horror
writer Stephen King is one, selling over 100 million books dealing with
the supernatural - Salem’s Lot, The Shining, Pet Cemetery and the
Dark Tower series. Alfred Hitchcock, the acknowledged master of film suspense,
was another who utilised the fear factor in a string of mystery thrillers,
culminating in the cult classic Psycho.

Jupiter
in Scorpio's black humour was evidenced via Vincent Price, playing a collage
of macabre characters ranging from undertakers to mad doctors. Then there
was the poltergeist power of Linda Blair star of 'The Exorcist'. All intensely
Scorpionic - conjuring our deepest anxieties, sucking us into the psychological
black hole of vulnerability.

Jupiter
in Scorpio wasn’t limited to celluloid psychos. Serial killer Ted
Bundy, made the darkness of death a reality. Mass murderer Charles Manson
was another caught in the base chakra of a Jupiter in Scorpio placement.
One who varied between both worlds was the eccentric occultist Aliester
Crowley.

Displaying
a developed sense of Jupiterian humor, Crowley immodestly claimed to be
the Devil incarnate, imbedding the numbers 666 across his forehead. But
true to the spiritual mentor side of Jupiter, he rose to prominence as
a leading esoteric teacher. Crowley was at one time head of the Golden
Dawn, a gathering of occultists drawn from the European glitterati.

Like
Crowley, the ‘guru’ quality of Jupiter, placed in hypnotic
Scorpio, has the potential to produce magnetic cult leaders. Metaphysician
Ron L. Hubbard was one. Hubbard’s seminal work ‘Dianetics’
became the ‘bible’ of the Scientology Church. His reprogramming
became a worldwide fad. Deepak Chopra is another of the newage gurus assisted
by a Jupiter in Scorpio placement.

ARTIFICIAL
LIFE

With
Jupiter transiting Scorpio, a young Mary Shelley conceived the idea of
an artificial human and the legend of Frankenstein was born. By 1934,
again with Jupiter in Scorpio, organs were kept alive outside the body
for the first time, which led to Barney Clark being the first human to
live on an artificial heart in 1982, again with Jupiter in Scorpio. Death,
the greatest limitation of them all, was showing its vulnerability.

The
last time Jupiter moved through Scorpio, French surgeons gave the first
human face transplant to Isabelle Dinoire. Scientists declared that they
had created mice with small amounts of human brain cells as they researched
new models for combating neurological disorders.

One
who was many years ahead was Jules Verne, the greatest science fiction
writer of all. He stretched imagination to its farthest limits, with his
prophetic writings of submarines, space travel, and time machines. Verne
wasn't limited by the anxiety of sailing off the edge of the world. Quite
the opposite. As Jupiter re-enters this domain we witness the beginnings
of colonising Scorpio's traditional ruler – Mars.

GLOBAL
TRENDS & NATIONAL HOROSCOPES

The
First, Fourth and Fifth Republics of France were all formed with Jupiter
in Scorpio. It's a placement that has a recurring effect on the nation's
history and may see important legislative changes before the year is out.
National breakaway movements are a global theme as the largest independence
movements of the 20th century, the partition of India and Pakistan took
place with Jupiter in Scorpio.

As
Donald Trump isolates the US by dismantling agreements like the North
American Free Trade, it's linking in with a Jupiter in Scorpio past cycle
of November 1993, when NAFTA passed the legislative houses of the USA,
Canada and Mexico. The same cycle saw the beginning of the first Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation summit and dates back to when Nixon dismantled the
Bretton-Woods agreement of WWII, by removing the US dollar from the gold
standard.

Jupiter had just entered Scorpio back in December of 1898 when the Treaty
of Paris ceded the former Spanish colonies of the Philippines, Guam, Cuba
and Puerto Rica to the United States. The focus is now on these locations
and their US relationship, as Jupiter revisits old territories.

The
importance of achieving a Middle East peace deal between Israel and Palestine
increases in significance as Jupiter returns to the sign it occupied when
international airliners were simultaneously hijacked and burnt at Dawson's
field by Black September movement of 1970, something the press kept silent
on following 911.

Jupiter
was also in Scorpio during Israel's Sabra and Shatia massacres of 1982,
or when Hamas was elected to government and the last Israel war with Lebanon
took place in 2006 under the same auspices. In Scorpio, Jupiter eventually
opposes the Israeli Sun, which may also have legal ramifications for its
Prime Minister, or the ICC.

Jupiter
was in Scorpio last for North Korea's April 2006 ballistic missile tests
and its first nuclear bomb detonation of September 9 2006, as these issues
are revisited. It was also here back in 1947, when Harry Truman signed
the US National Security Act, creating the Dept of Defense, NSA, CIA,
and Joint Chiefs of Staff, all of which may feature in expanded activities
upon Jupiter's return.

Wikileaks
was formed, and its founder Julian Assange born, with Jupiter under the
sign of the dirt digging Scorpion. Judicial Jupiter may also have ramifications
here and should at least bring Assange, his embassy rendezvous and political
organisation increasingly into the news during its transit.

Much
of the crucial action will take place from the first quarter of 2018 as
Jupiter moves into the closing balsamic phase of its 20 year cycle with
Saturn, begun back in the year 2000. Without going into further detail
I have recently written extensively on this cycle and its relevance which
can be accessed via this link - the
political astrology page.

During
the balsamic phase it will also move retrograde in March, concentrating
its influence and not revisiting the retrograde degrees until September.
Some of these situations will play out over that six month duration.

Two
prominent US politicians with their Jupiter in Scorpio are Mike Pence
and Paul Ryan. As for Donald Trump - his Jupiter return began December
2016 just after his victory and at the time of his Electoral College confirmation.
It ended this past August with Charlottesville.

October
8

HOW MANY MORE TIMES

This
week's column follows in the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in the
recent history of the USA. It occurred between 22.05 and 22.15 hours October
1 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada. That's when Stephen Paddock made himself
even more infamous than father Patrick, one of the FBI's ten most wanted
between 1969 and 1977.

Coincidentally,
Paddock's birthday, April 9 1953 at 11.05 am in Clinton, Iowa, matches
the calendar formation date of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
(ISIL/ISIS) of April 9 2013. They have claimed responsibility for the
attack but there is scant evidence for his conversion to their ideology.

If
Stephen Paddock had been an Islamic radical, like Omar Mateen, the Orlando
nightclub killer, whose massacre record he surpassed, outrage would have
been even greater. There would be more than the paralytic parroting of
prayers and wishes. Followed by the obligatory encore of this isn't the
time to talk about guns.

Paddock
was another angry white man with a gun. Or an arsenal of 47. It's not
only the financial one per centers who own the country. Three percent
own half of its guns. And the USA, representing just under 5% of the global
population, own almost half its guns. Paddock was able to purchase 33
of them since last October – enough to arm a small militia. Here's
his Astromap progressed to October 1 2017

Paddock
was a passionate believer in the Second Amendment. It's the primary reason
America stands alone, in the civilised world, with a reluctance to implement
responsible gun laws that would limit the untold damage they inflict on
its people. Mass killings are a unique social contagion.

The
legend of the gun was spawned by the War of Independence and took firm
roots with the settlement of the Wild West. Today, the Second Amendment
is defended by an argument that an armed populace can displace a government,
who happen to have the world's greatest military and a nuclear arsenal
at their disposal.

But
it's when you go digging into the USA horoscope and combine it with the
Second Amendment that the cultural correspondence of gun worship becomes
ominously clear.

THE
MYTHOLOGY OF THE GUN

The
mythology of the gun is embedded in the USA birth chart of July 4 1776.
Military Mars in duplicitous Gemini is in a testing square to imaginary
Neptune in Virgo. Virgo's rationale for carefully measured critique is
obscured by the presence of illusory Neptune. The planet of believing
what one wants to believe embodies invisible addiction.

The
US chart acts as a blueprint for this dependence and is a perfect example
of the fog of war. George W didn't have to go to Iraq searching for imaginary
weapons of mass destruction. The real ones were in his own backyard.

If
you compare charts of famous killers with the birth chart of the USA,
the heavens mirror the reality and the Mars connection is outstanding.

Chris Kyle - American sniper with 150 victims,
killed by one of his own, a crazy white man with a gun - Kyle's one –
Mars and South Node conjunct USA Mars. Mark Chapman – John Lennon assassin
– Mars conjunct USA Mars. David Berkowitz – Son of Sam - terrorised
New Yorkers for over a year on his killing spree, leaving mysterious letters
behind. Mars and Mercury conjunct USA Mars.Ayman al-Zawahiri – Current leader
of Al-Qaeda – Sun, Mercury, Mars conjunct USA Mars.

When
it comes to Hollywood, remember a Terminator named Arnold
Schwarzenegger. Mars and Uranus conjunct USA Mars. Or the macabre
'cold dead hands' of the real life NRA spokesman Charlton
Heston. His Mars at 21 degrees of Virgo was square the USA Mars
and conjunct the USA Neptune – perfect for spin.

So
where was Stephen Paddock's Secondary Progressed Sun on October 01 2017?
Between 21 and 22 of Gemini – or precisely on the USA's Mars. And
it's here where we come to the Second Amendment chart. Surely that must
bear a relation to all of this. It can hardly be more obvious.

The Amendment's Mars sits right at the USA's Neptune, which not only reinforces
the mythology of the musket, but also explains all the obfuscation around
the laws implementation and the sacrifice that has followed.

The
Second Amendment, adopted on December 15 1791, states “A well regulated
militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of
the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” Written
eight years after the Revolutionary War it seems primarily for recruitment.

Opinions
aside, the combination of the USA birth chart with the Second Amendment
sets up a T-Square, like an energy grid stressing 21-22 degrees of mutable
signs. People, or events that strongly resonate with this grid are more
likely to effect change or bring the issues of gun violence more to the
fore.

For
example Dylan Roof's mass murder of black worshippers at the Charleston
Baptist Church of June 17 2015 happened with the Sun and Mars conjunct
the USA Mars. He had hoped to trigger a race war.

The
Orlando nightclub shooting of June 12 2016 targeting the gay community
was carried out with the Sun conjunct USA Mars. And as if the heavens
are trying desperately to drum home a message for the hard of hearing,
it happened again in 2017.

A
Republican baseball practice became target practice from 07.09 hours June
14 this year in Alexandria, North Virginia. House Majority whip, Steve
Scalise ended up in intensive care, one of six wounded. The Sun was at
23 Gemini and Saturn at 24 Sagittarius – close on this mutable axis.
Shown below is the chart of this incident with the Second Amendment transposed
on the outer wheel.

Republicans
in particular are proponents of the freedom to own weapons, including
assault style munitions. They have recently rolled back legislation aimed
at preventing those with mental illness obtaining guns. Being in the pocket
of powerful gun lobbies has prevented rational discussion on the gun debate.

The
argument is not about the removal of guns as much as tightening the laws
to prevent weapons of mass destruction and background checks to facilitate
responsible ownership. Most Americans agree on these points. Yet the waters
are constantly and deliberately muddied at this point by the gun lobby.

MONEY
TALKS - WHERE'S THE VICTIM'S VOICE?

Even
President Donald Trump has openly admitted to what being in somebody's
pocket is. The NRA contributed more to the Trump campaign than ever before.
Trump launched it with a triple conjunction of Sun, Moon and Mars all
on the USA's Mars. Trump's Sun sits on the USA's Mars. He not only channels
the anger but also the militancy.

Before
the NRA convention, Trump openly stated “You came through for me
and I am going to come through for you.” And, “You have a
true friend and champion in the White House.” That's what's called
being in each other's pocket. Weapon sales are a big part of the American
economy, locally and global. Money talks. A pity that its victims cannot.
But all is not lost.

A
CALL FOR RESPONSIBILITY

Stephen
Paddock, although being a great supporter of the right to bear arms and
apparently massacre your countrymen and women with them, has done absolutely
no favours for his cause. Looking at the horoscope of his moment of madness
with the Second Amendment brings the limiting Saturn even more into play.

Looking at these multiple correspondences, year after year (Sandy Hook
was December 14 2012 with its Sun opposite the USA Mars) is thumping out
a clear message. And somehow Trump – by virtue of his campaign and
birth chart locking right onto the US Mars, must play a pivotal role.

Perhaps
by bringing the nation to crisis point, as he seems to be inadvertently
doing. When something is not working, then surely to heaven it's time
to try something different. At the moment people are arming themselves
in fear. Responsible change is something not to be feared. It may begin
to remove it.

Summing up, twice I had written that the period between the 7th and 10th
of October should be critical for the USA. That was based on volatile
transits to the US Mars. Did it come a little earlier than expected? Maybe
so. But its energy is still around. Possibly Trump's cryptic 'calm before
the storm comment' is about to play out?

THE
MANDALY MASSACRE

According
to his birth certificate, Stephen Paddock was born in Clinton, Iowa on
April 9 1953 at 11.05 am. This gives him a Cancer Ascendant, with an eighth
house Aquarian Moon. He worked initially as an accountant and auditor
– think basic eighth house and other people's money here –
before moving on to real-estate and gambling.

The Moon opposes obsessive, but powerful Pluto, in the second house of
assets and earning power and personal values. The Moon also represents
early home life and the mother. Its eighth house placement and opposition
to Pluto, combined with a compromising inconjunct to the Ascendant and
square to Jupiter suggests early emotional extremes.

Those
who knew Paddock well, brother Eric and partner Marilou Danley describe
him as a generous, kind and caring man. Others claim he was socially reclusive
and a loner. Both are probably true. The independent loner would suit
Paddock's independent Arian Sun in opposition to both Saturn and Neptune
and squaring the relationship sensitive Ascendant and Descendant.

Sun
and an even closer opposition from Venus to Saturn can produce feelings
of judgment and a need to prove oneself through achievement. They may
feel restricted by the responsibility of relationship. The added opposition
to Neptune can indicate disappointment, when other fail to meet often
improbable ideals. Usually these preconditions are established in the
formative years and Saturn works in seven year blocks.

DEVELOPMENTAL
YEARS

There
is a record of a neighbour taking a young Paddock swimming on July 28
1960. The real reason was to remove the child from the home and spare
the trauma of seeing his father removed by the authorities. Relatives
think that this may have been a turning point. It adds up astrologically.
At that time Paddock's progressed Mars (assertion and anger) was squaring
Pluto (repressed issues).

On
that day transiting Uranus was squaring the Mars and on the Pluto. It
is interesting that relatives would point to this exact date, as if there
is more to the story and child's reaction that may not be conveyed. His
secondary progressed Venus was just departing from a conjunction with
the Sun. The union could well have portrayed strong bonding with the father
just prior to his sudden departure.

Either
way it would be traumatic at seven, the year of the first Saturn square
of personal responsibility, restrictions and limitations and when the
morale sense of right and wrong is becoming evident. The father's abrupt
absence would be critical here, reinforcing the Saturn alignment with
shadowy Neptune. Who knows what he was told?

This
may have contributed to the loner nature many claimed he exhibited, outside
of relatives or partners. He was married and divorced twice. The first
a relatively short affair spanning July 17 1977, as his progressed Venus
squared Uranus. Divorce is listed at December 29 1980, as transiting Pluto
was on his Saturn and opposing his Venus

The
second marriage was on March 9 1985 when his SP Sun squared Pluto and
was inconjunct his Saturn and Neptune. In 1986, he experienced a Secondary
Progressed New Moon phase which fell close to his birth Jupiter.

This
would have accompanied a more successful time and featured important employment
changes where he worked for defense contractors. The New Moon, in acquisitive
and patient Taurus, also saw him begin his real-estate investments.

Divorce
came again in 1990, as his progressed Ascendant met Pluto and transiting
Saturn squared his birth Sun and itself, as it moved into his seventh
house of partnership. Paddock had no family of his own and had fallen
out with two of his brothers, but acted like a surrogate father to the
youngest, Eric.

Eric
seemed the totally stunned when told of the Mandalay massacre. But there
was one story that didn't add up. Eric claimed that Stephen had fallen
out with brother Bruce, because Bruce would beat him up as a kid. Stephen
Paddock was six years older than Bruce.

What
we do know is that from October 2016 he purchased 33 guns and that he'd
made at least one trip to the Middle East in the past year. In October
of 2016 Paddock's progressed Moon met Mars. It fits the increased gun
purchases from that time.

THE
NEW MOON OF 2016

In
the March of 2016, Paddock had experienced his second Progressed New Moon
at 20 degrees of Gemini. Coincidentally, this is within the degree of
the USA Gemini birth Mars.

A
progressed New Moon signifies a fresh emotional start. The union of the
emotive Moon with the creative Sun is a once every 29 ½ years phenomena
in the progressing horoscope.

The
2016 New Moon occurred in his reclusive twelfth house. It also arrived
as his Midheaven linked to progressing Jupiter. This may have accompanied
increased travel and a different philosophical approach from that time
onward. Then came the Moon to Mars in October 2016, perfect for the sudden
weapons purchase.

RELATIONSHIP BREAKDOWN

The
Mandalay shooting happened as Paddock's SP Ascendant opposed Neptune –
signals of a dissolving relationship and also a sense of unreality and
loss in this area. It came as Saturn opposed his SP Sun. This reinforces
the birth oppositions of the Sun and Venus to Saturn. It too fits with
the closing down of a relationship.

What
we do know is that Paddock was said to have paid for a trip back to the
Philippines for his partner Marilou Danley. And that he later sent close
to $100,000 to her. She claims the money was for a house and that she
thought that it may have been Paddock's way of been breaking it off.

In
April of 2017, the planet of abrupt realignment and independence, Uranus,
was moving across Paddock's Venus and opposing his Saturn. Stability is
shattered here and this combination of Uranus to Venus and Saturn is again
common to a fractured relationship. That seems written all over his horoscope
in 2017, along with the excesses of Jupiter.

With
more information in the coming weeks hopefully more answers will come.
Was he losing his mind, his money, his relationship? Did it create a Dr
Jekyll from Mr Hyde? Or was this applying to his whole attitude to relationships
and human contact.

The
propensity for depressed thoughts is evident from July through to October
as Saturn transited square to his Mercury. And the anger was triggered
by SP Mars semisquaring his birth Mars – a critical progression.
Anger and guns made it a lethal combination. The Astromapping below for
October 1 2017 shows Paddock's Secondary Progressed Mars rising in Las
Vegas.

October
1

Last week's column showed how the positioning of
planetary heavyweights of Jupiter and Saturn defined the rise of the USA
to supplant Great Britain as the premier power following WWII. And how
the same planets have accurately timed the USA's greatest challenges of
the 21st century – the 911 terrorist attacks, the Global Financial
Crisis and the election of Donald Trump. Click
here for the link

This
week continues with planetary patterns, dating back even further. It shows
how America adopted the concept of empire, which now stretches across
the globe. And why from 2001 things would dramatically change leading
to where we are right now. We can start in the now.

Noticed
a pattern with countries concerning to the US lately? Diplomats are being
withdrawn from Cuba, Hurricane Maria has left a trail of destruction in
Puerto Rico, Guam has been threatened with a nuclear bomb. There is something
all of these countries hold in common. All are territories captured as
a result of the US/Spanish War of 1898.

THE
FIRST IMPERIAL WAR

The
US Spanish war doesn't get much publicity today. It was the first US imperial
war. It led to critical overseas land acquisitions and military bases.
1898 was a year when empires changed hands. It has a peculiar, but undeniable
link, to the attacks of 911. And the fulfillment of Manifest Destiny.

The
term Manifest Destiny described a philosophy of entitlement. It was God's
will that the USA conquer the mainland and venture forth into the world.
It was used as the moral justification for westward expansion, driving
the indigenous Americans from their tribal lands, reasoning the annexation
of Texas and war with Mexico.

The
early settlers were duplicating what the Spanish, British and French empires
had done before them. The conflict with Spain was the first overseas war
and the beginning of US imperialism on an international scale. It began
with a controversial event that is debated right up until this day. The
bombing of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor.

REMEMBER
THE MAINE TO HELL WITH SPAIN

The
Maine had been stationed in Havana Harbor to protect US trade interests
during a period of insurrection on the island - a revolution against Spanish
rule. Despite sending the largest contingent of troops across the Atlantic
prior to WWII – over 220,000 – Spain was having trouble maintaining
order, battling a guerilla insurgency.

At
21.40 hours on the 15th of February 1898, the Maine was blasted down to
the waterline. Over 260 sailors – three quarters of the crew –
lost their lives. Who was responsible was debated back then as much as
911 is today. A Spanish mine was claimed to be the cause. But subsequent
studies have suggested that it was an on board explosion.

Whatever
the reason the explosion galvanized the popular opinion against Spain.
The Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer media empires - truly the fake
press of their day - lapped it up. Suddenly the US had reason to go to
war. And war sells newspapers. The truth was that the US Navy had prepared
a battle plan as far back as 1894. “Remember the Maine, to hell
with Spain” became the war cry.

CRITICAL
DATES

Feb
15 1898 USS
Maine explodes in Havana HarborApril 20 1898 President McKinley asks Congress
to declare war on Spain. The following day Spain cuts diplomatic ties
with the USA.May 01 1898 US navy sails into Manila, Philippines.June 10 1898 647 US marines begin the invasion
of Cuba at Guantanamo Bay.June 20 1898 the US navy sails into Guam
imprisoning the Governor the next day. July 7 1898 Hawaii is formally annexed by
the USA.July 25 1898 the U.S. invades Puerto Rico,
landing at Guánica.August 12 1898 an armistice is signed with
Spain.August 13 1898 Manila falls to the USA.December 10 1898 Treaty of Paris ends the
US/Spanish War.

THE
SATURN PLUTO CYCLE

The
predominant planetary pattern evident throughout 1898 was a Saturn to
Pluto opposition. The significance of this was that it fell right across
the Ascendant and Descendant of the USA's July 4 1776 17.10 hours LMT
Philadelphia birth chart.

This
Ascendant Descendant axis is that of international relations. It shows
allies and enemies and the Ascendant describes how the nation projects
itself globally.

Capturing
the Philippines played into the "Manifest Destiny" concept but
also laid the perfect platform for the commercial opportunities of the
Asian market and Pacific power.

The
Filipinos falsely believing they were fighting for their independence,
instead found a new master. Their fight would soon turn against the USA,
resulting in brutal defeat.

Not
everyone was impressed. The Philippines had been captured the day after
an Armistice was signed. Back home the Anti-Imperialist League was formed,
soon gathering over 100,000 members. To many Americans the idea of empire
was repugnant.

Empires
were an overhang of British colonialism and everything the Revolutionary
War had fought against. They ran counter to the concept of democracy and
were beneficial only to big business and military interests. They were
a violation of people's rights to sovereignty and heritage. Manifest Destiny
won out.

2001
- THE KARMIC SWAP

From
late July 2001 Saturn and Pluto would do something very rare. They would
swap their positions of 1898. Deep and dark Pluto was emerging from the
shadowy twelfth house, often assigned to karmic debt, to cross the USA's
Ascendant. They would soon be projecting a much more 'Plutonic' image
to the world. Simultaneously traditional Saturn would enter the seventh
house of allies and enemies.

In
July the USA and Israel walked out of the United Nations forum on racism,
when the subject of apartheid was raised against Israel. As a result,
behind the scenes, Saudi Arabia threatened to withdraw US support, in
private correspondence with President Bush.

Not
so noticeable was a 20 year financial and military alliance of Russia
and China, signed on July 16 2001. All could have serious ramifications.
And as Pluto and Saturn maintained their positions through August and
September, the inevitable happened. The explosion of the Maine merged
into 911 and a new colonial war for resources and territory would begin.

THE PRETEXT FOR WAR

From
September 11 2001 - a plot birthed at a high level Al Qeada meeting in
Manila, Philippines - empire has been harder won and even harder to maintain.
Operational command lies behind heavily fortified Green Zones. Resistance
multiplies. The image of the generous benefactor is blurred by one of
the military oppressor.

It's
revealing that the current Saturn Pluto cycle began with the bombing of
the US Middle East contingent at the Beirut Embassy. And that the opposition
point brought 911. These events are obviously connected by intent and
cycle. They help decipher its development.

As
we near the cycle's end, the Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, extends
friendship with Russia and China. At the same time he is aware of his
military's alliance with the US and talks candidly about his possible
assassination by the CIA on Russian TV.

Donald
Trump's imperious address to the United Nations was textbook Manifest
Destiny stuff. But the cycle has turned and reversed. And the bombast
just doesn't cut it - even to his own supporters who sense an about face.
Making America great again isn't achieved by threats of subjugation.

The old ways will not work as well into the future. Even the public trust
has tired of the stealthy pretexts for war. The now declassified Northwood
Report should be essential reading for anyone who doubts.

Meantime,
we have to wait until January 2020 before the Saturn Pluto fully plays
out and renews. I have already alluded to October 7 to 9 being the next
crucial period. But in the longer term it makes December the month to
watch. More next week.

September
24

FACING
THE INEVITABLE

It's
as obvious as the nose on your face. The world is rapidly transforming.
Rigid power structures are cracking. But not without a fight. An old way
of being has to change for survival. That's the principle of evolution.
Successful adaptation - not domination.

Law
and order along with generational change are governed by the age old cycle
of judicial Jupiter and structural Saturn. This week's column shows the
power of the planetary heavyweights to define the change we are experiencing.

How
they timed the US growing into the world's dominant superpower, under
the triple conjunction of 1940/41, with closely matched events. And how
the current cycle, beginning May 2000 is bringing inevitable reformation
to that status. And most importantly how to read the direction.

It
also offers irrefutable planetary proof that the events of 911, the Global
Financial Crisis and the election of Donald Trump all synchronize perfectly
into the Jupiter Saturn cycle and how they are again changing the world
order in a manner not seen since the Second World War. And does so in
a way never published before. I hope you like it. Let's begin with...

SWAPPING
THE EMPIRES

Jupiter
Saturn would meet three times in conjunction spanning, August 8, October
20 1940 and February 15 1941. The first of these unions would ultimately
change the course of the WWII and then the entire direction of the 20th
century via two significant shifts. On August 8 1940, Hitler's plan to
invade the Soviet Union was hatched.

The
primary motivation was to curb and counter anticipated British air attacks
coming from the East. It would prove to be the undoing of Germany. Aerial
battles were about to be escalated. On August 18th what is remembered
as the 'Hardest Day', of the Battle of Britain, took place over England.

All
three Jupiter Saturn conjunctions were aligned in Taurus with Uranus,
the fabled sky god, associated with flight and technology. By August 20
Winston Churchill was addressing parliament with his signature phrase,
'Never in the field of human conflict has so much owed by so many to so
few.' But it wasn't only Germany's dream of empire that was evaporating.

THE
BIG SHIFT

Something
even more significant was taking place at the time of first conjunction
of the planetary heavyweights. On August 4, the famous US General Pershing
– famous enough to have his head featured on a US postal stamp –
made a nationwide evening radio address, usually only accorded the President.

Pershing
claimed that the US should support the Allies war effort through offering
50 US destroyers from their huge fleet. In return Britain would be required
to grant a 99 year lease on its military bases in the North Atlantic and
the West Indies. By September 2 it was a done deal and empire was changing
hands.

SECOND
CONJUNCTION

The
second conjunction came on October 20 1940; an election year for the USA.
Maintaining the isolatinist approach, President Roosevelt campaigned on
a 'no war' platform. Despite the political promise, a draft registration
began on October the 16th, involving 16 million men.

Hollywood
had got into the act, the day before. Charlie Chaplin's 'Great Dictator'
a damning parody of Hitler and the war began its run. Roosevelt won the
election and a third term, through the big city vote. The rural areas
and small towns favoured his opponent.

THIRD TIME PROVES IT

The
final union of Jupiter and Saturn reached exactness on February 15 1941.
On the 9th of February the US House of Representatives voted on a greatly
expanded 'Lend Lease' deal to aid the Allied effort financially and with
any required equipment and supplies. It effectively ended the US pretence
of neutrality.

This
one had to be handled carefully, as the largest contingent of US ethnic
population was German. It still is. But by February 1941, US polling was
showing 54% of US respondents willing to support the Allied efforts.

These
three conjunctions and the pivotal events that accompanied them are hardly
coincidental. They changed the course of the war. They effectively timed
the changeover of power from the British Empire to the USA. It would take
another Jupiter Saturn conjunction sixty years later – again aligned
with new order Uranus – to begin reforming the status quo.

WHAT
THAT MEANS TODAY

Why
this is so important – certainly from the astrological sense - is
that Jupiter and Saturn have a longer cycle of sixty years, venerated
in Oriental astrology as well as the western tradition. Over this timespan
they appear again in a similar area of the sky and reformat the existing
order. The one and only conjunction of May 2000 began that process.

From
1940 through to 2000, US power grew exponentially, to where they emerged
the only true superpower, based on military and economic supremacy. From
the original British bases the US gradually encircled the globe.

Today
those bases number 800, monitoring and controlling the South and North
Pacific, Middle East and throughout Europe. But this domination has also
attracted opposition due to political meddling in sovereign nations, enforced
regime changes, constant surveillance and an unpopular image as the world's
self appointed policeman.

A
NEW ORDER

The
current Jupiter/Saturn conjunction would fall precisely over Washington
and in square to rebellious Uranus. The 2000 conjunction began ushering
in the changes, beginning with a disputed US election, which politically
divided the country. The economic focus was shifting from West to East
and opposition was about to grow.

In
the month of the conjunction Russia swore in a new president – Vladimir
Putin. From the millennium, China's economic growth exploded, leading
to a July 16 2001 20 year Sino-Russia Friendship Treaty and military alliance.
China needed access to Russian oil and military expertise and Russia could
use China's economic support.

The
Sino-Russian Treaty came with lethal Pluto and Mars reaching the Ascendant
of the USA's birth horoscope and restrictive Saturn nearing the Descendant.
Then came the Middle East blowback of the September 11 and life would
never be the same again. The 60 year Jupiter Saturn cycle was kicking
in.

The
invasion of Iraq was undertaken in deference to the United Nations, on
spurious evidence and against global protests totaling 36 million people
on February 13 2003. Three million in Rome alone made it the biggest ever
anti-war protest in history.

Judgmental
Saturn had now reached the US Mars and Mars and Pluto opposed the US Mars.
The nation was becoming bogged down in never ending wars stretching the
budget and leading to further homeland cutbacks and domestic division.
Faith in government was reaching an all time low.

It
plummeted even further seven years later under the financial tsunami of
the Lehman Bros collapse, drowning the global economy. And while the worst
kind of PR like Guantanamo Bay remained open, those behind the financial
crimes managed to evade retribution.

The
market meltdown and buyback fueled even greater inequality. The rich got
richer. All of which eventually led to a disconnect between people and
governance and eventually to the third desperation shock of Trumpism.

Now
for the corker! If you match up the horoscopes of 911, the Global Financial
Crisis and Trump's Victory Speech you'll find that they are all linked
by successive Jupiter and Saturn squares to each other. Building like
a domino effect.

You
simply can't make this stuff up. It's all there in front of your eyes
with this ancient predictive cycle. One shock building upon the other.
An ongoing call to change tack that is being constantly ignored.

Trump's
bean counting and inflammatory militaristic address to the United Nations,
while fully expected, was everything the organisation and the future does
not stand for. It was undermining all the gains and trust built from the
shadows of World War Two.

For
those interested in astromapping, Trump's threat to destroy North Korea
came seconds prior to 10.20 am September 19 in New York, as Mars reached
the IC of the Korean peninsula. Knife edge stuff when a small earthquake
could trigger something much more devastating.

UNDERBELLY EXPOSED

But perhaps the military-industrial complex veneer is there for all to
see, under the one who surrounds himself with generals and puts another
10% into the Pentagon's coffers. The bigger picture is the economic one
and the dogged resistance of the changing of the guard. Jupiter and Saturn
see it differently. And they have proved to be the genuine guides and
potent timers.

The
'main event' for traditional astrologers is the upcoming Libra Ingress.
It's due Friday next and is one of the four seasonal markers of the tropical
zodiac. Ingress charts are part of the tools and techniques of the vast
subject of mundane (meaning worldly) astrology.

Technically
the looming Libran Ingress defines the precise moment that the Sun crosses
the equator heading for the Southern Hemisphere. This will generally occur
between the 22nd and 23rd of September annually, dependent upon leap years
etc.

To
give you an insight into how Ingress charts work before getting stuck
into the current ones, here's the Libran Ingress of 1962 over Washington.
It covered the Cuban Missile crisis, another nuclear showdown between
the USA and Soviet Union, which was resolved diplomatically. Note warlord
Mars at the Midheaven squaring negotiating Mercury, stationary at the
Ascendant. It's a war of words.

This
year, the Libran Ingress is exact at 08.01.44 hours Universal Time, September
22. However, as all Ingress charts are cast for an exact location, relating
to the country of interest and set for their seat of government, time
will vary in different zones.

The
Ingress is powerful in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Location
is the key to Ingress horoscopes, as area assigns different Ascendants
and Midheavens, although the planet sign positions will stay the same.
They 'increase their power' where they appear on the angles and become
the dominant forces for the specific place involved.

CURRENT CANCER INGRESS

The
current Ingress chart, preceding the upcoming Libran Ingress, is the Cancer
Ingress, shown below for the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. It is
evidencing the prevailing conditions. The leadership Sun is running uncomfortably
semisquare to the Ascendant ruler Venus, affecting the national image.
But volatile Mars is running the show.

MARS
IN THE MIDHEAVEN

Note
the appearance of warlord Mars as the most elevated planet, directly at
the Midheaven and in the homeland sign of Cancer, under the same Ingress.
Mars is predominant and represents the administration when linked to the
Midheaven, but it is also in a sign of its traditional fall. Mars is showing
an aggressive emotionally based patriotism, while working through Cancer.

Mars
runs square to successful, but often excessive Jupiter, placed in the
first house and representing the country's global image and projection.
The combativeness of Mars in a testing angle to Jupiter creates an exaggerated
or 'over the top' accent on conflict.

By
also squaring the international relations axis of the Ascendant and Descendant,
Mars is inflaming North Korea's diplomatic relations. It is also linked
by semisquare and sesquisquare to the eclipsing Nodal Axis. North Korea's
actions, from the Cancer Ingress time attach a lot of credibility to this
age old predictive technique.

FROM ONE INGRESS TO THE NEXT

North
Korea fired off an intercontinental ballistic missile on July 28, with
the potential of reaching mainland USA. This came appropriately upon a
Sun Mars conjunction. As a result they incurred the heaviest yet sanction
package from the United Nations. They replied with threats against Guam
– an American military base in the Pacific.

On
August 29, North Korea released another missile over Japan, further incurring
the wrath of their neighbour. Note responsible Saturn lies in the neighbourly
third house of the Cancer Ingress, and this would also describe the concern
of their border neighbour in China. Belligerent Mars rules the Arian seventh
house of international relations, while also testingly squaring it.

The
second missile launch took place as the Sun and Mercury sesquisquared
Pluto. Record sanctions immediately followed, imposed by the United Nations
represented by extreme Pluto in the homeland fourth and opposing Mars.
On September 3 North Korea detonated their biggest weapon yet –
claimed to be a hydrogen bomb – ten times the size of the one that
flattened Hiroshima.

The
leadership Sun's conjunction to newsworthy Mercury in the distant lands
and long journey's ninth house, sees Kim Jong-un as a global headline.
Relocating this chart to Seoul, a distance of 121 miles moves the Mars
from the governmental tenth to the ninth, but still keeps it close to
the Midheaven.

The
difference here is that South Korea has a long distance overseas connection
with the USA. This too is Mars related, exemplified by the provocative
war games indulged by ROK and US troops stationed in South Korea. So where
is this immediately going? The Libra Ingress should show.

THE
LIBRAN INGRESS

Libra,
the symbolic scales of balance, is the sign of equilibrium. How fitting
then that Kim Jong-un, should claim on the eve of this ingress, that the
real goal of his nuclear program, “is to establish the equilibrium
of real force with the US and make the US rulers dare not talk about a
military option for the DPRK."

The
Libran Ingress shows assertive Mars positioned right at the Ascendant
in Pyongyang. The Ascendant, the point where the heavens and the earth
meet on the eastern ecliptic, represents the projected national image.
It is tightly opposed by Neptune at the seventh house of allies and enemies.

Neptune
in the relationship seventh undermines and can dissolve relationship due
to an unrealistic perception or deliberate deception from either party.
Neptune also describes countries with a socialist government.

The
Mars Neptune can also indicate conflict at sea, and is descriptive of
missiles passing over seas. The opposition also draws in excessive Jupiter
and unpredictable and pre-emptive Uranus.

Uranus
is the traditional sky-god, relating to aeronautics as well as technology.
The Midheaven of the Libran Ingress at Pyongyang links with the birth
Uranus of the USA.

Certainly
cyber warfare would fall under this Hard Rectangle link up of Mars, Jupiter,
Uranus and Neptune, angled to the primary angles of Ascendant and Midheaven
by aspect, along with the aerial and sudden unexpected nature of this
combination.

Austere
Saturn in the home base fourth house indicates the sacrifices of the people
and restrictive domestic conditions placed upon the families of North
Korea which could also somehow affect South Korea too.

TIMINGS

Assuming
that the Ingress chart is sensitive to transits, then this Libran one
should be active within the first week of its appearance. The North Korean
crisis affords US President Donald Trump a perfect opportunity to deflect
attention from internal investigation and connect with a military image,
something generally favourable to presidential polling.

The
Mars Neptune opposition, amplified in this Libran Ingress, squares the
USA's birth chart Ascendant and Descendant. The Mars position also opposes
the USA's Secondary Progressed Sun. In the days following the ingress,
volatile aspects in the worldly sense dominate as Mars moves through challenging
angles to the Jupiter Uranus position and Neptune.

MEANWHILE
IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Projecting
the Libran Ingress elsewhere geopolitically, sees it impacting powerfully
in the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The Kurds are planning an
independence referendum on September 25, right in the heart of this volatile
planetary period. The lone public supporter of this northern oil rich
area coming under Kurdistan's rule and dividing Iraq, is Israel Prime
Minister Bin Netanyahu.

Back
in 2003, when the US launched the invasion of Iraq, Netanyahu then Israel's
finance minister, boasted to London investors of oil flowing from northern
Iraq all the way to the Mediterranean. Control of Kirkuk and northern
Iraq was the only way to that. The Kurds independence would have to play
a role.

Netanyahu
was censured by George W Bush and Tony Blair for these remarks, as both
tried desperately to steer the narrative of the war away from oil and
toward democratizing Iraq as part of their declared war on terror and
prevention of weapons of mass destruction.

Some
months ago in this column I mentioned the effect of the August 21 eclipse
on the charts of Netanyahu and Israel falling near the Mars of both. Since
then Israel have conducted bombing raids into Syria, moved to ban the
Al-Jazeera media and are now actively supporting the break up of neighbouring
Iraq.

The
eclipse also fell on the Sun/Mercury combination of the first Iraq horoscope
of Iraq dated August 23 1921 at 6 am Baghdad. The Kurds referendum has
the potential of exploding into a regional war.

LIBRAN
INGRESS FOR KURDISTAN

The
Ingress when cast for Erbil, the current capital of the Kurdistan Region
shows the leadership Sun in the homeland fourth house. It also places
volatile Mars near the foundational IC, or base of the horoscope representing
internal affairs and a homeland. Media Mercury is also here and as this
can be a big breaking story. And what lies at the zenith of this horoscope
but smokescreen Neptune, the planet of oil, gas.

So
an ancient technique that was developed and refined from this same area
of Mesopotamia may still hold a clue to its future. The astrological theory
states that the locations where the main planets and aspect patterns of
the ingress charts coincide with the primary angles of Ascendant/Descendant
and Midheaven/Nadir is where the action manifests.

We
shall soon find out how relevant that is. Reminding that the Libran Ingress
sets the scenes and is due to activate within days. Again look for the
period of the Ingress and across the final week of September. The 7th
to 10th of October can be another important time window, especially regarding
the United States.

September
10

THANKS
FOR THE MEMORIES

It
is known in the west as the 'Forgotten War' with good reason. There are
few noble moments from the Korean War of the 50's. It was a war without
a victor. A war that saw WWI icon, General Douglas Macarthur, relieved
of his command. A war that reined more US bombs on one country than they'd
dropped in their entire World War Two engagements.

In
North Korea it is well remembered. Never before had such a percentage
of a national population been so decimated. Twenty per cent fatalities,
according to General Curtis LeMay, head of the Strategic Air Command.
Fifteen might be closer to the mark, but either way a massive civilian
toll.

Six hundred and thirty five thousand tonnes of bombs. Thirty two thousand
tonnes of napalm alone, ironically mostly produced in Japan, where the
US had taken over military installations for their own use. LeMay,
nicknamed 'Bombs Away', wasn't overly concerned about civilian casualties.

Here
was a man who'd delivered an Emergency War Plan, in March 1949, which
detailed dropping 133 atomic bombs on 70 cities in the USSR within 30
days. He even pressed JFK to bomb Cuba during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis,
a sure fire formula for World War Three.

LeMay
eventually found himself in politics, as the running mate of the Southern
segregationist George Wallace, in the presidential election of 1968. Part
of LeMay's platform consisted of nuking the North Vietnamese. Remarkably,
over 13% - roughly one in seven - of Americans voted for them.

TRUMAN
V MACARTHUR

General
Macarthur, the hero of the Pacific in WWII, was removed from his post
in the Korean War. His plan was to use nuclear weapons against China,
whose ground army supported the North Koreans, and eventually pushed the
US back to the 38th parallel.

Macarthur
wanted the final say on the nuclear option and made his views public.
Truman relieved Macarthur of his duties for insubordination. World War
Two had barely concluded and Truman was not enamored with starting another.

Meantime
the carpet bombing destruction of North Korean dams, power plants and
infrastructure meant they began rebuilding hospitals and essential services
underground. It's something continued to this day. And a reason that provocative
war games have led to a nuclear armed state devoting 25% of GDP to the
4th largest land army on earth.

THE
NORTH KOREAN HOROSCOPE

The
foundation date of North Korea is September 9 1948. The war planet Mars
is powerfully placed in the national horoscope. Positioned in its home
sign of vengeful Scorpio and on the eclipsing Nodal axis, it is also at
the midpoint of the Sun and Jupiter. Perhaps there is some strange symbolic
relevance with the scorpion being a creature that lives underground.

Currently
North Korea's Mars has progressed to 22 degrees of Sagittarius. The significance
of that being that over the past couple of years it has been running in
opposition to the birth Mars of the USA at 21 degrees of Gemini. During
this time North Korea's nuclear program has greatly expanded and the countries
have edged closer to war.

The
opposition point has a strong military connection with the USA. Mars was
at 22 of Sagittarius for the formation of the US Marines on November 10
1775. It was in the same position for the dedication of the Pentagon,
upon completion on January 15 1943. It also some unfortunate violent associations,
such as the formation of the KKK or the assassination of JFK.

The
same degree area is important for South Korea. Mars was here for their
only nuclear accident of October 4 1999. Luckily, it was contained without
fatalities. But for a country that relied on nuclear plants as a vital
source of power, the game plan changed dramatically following Japan's
Fukushima meltdown.

One
of the biggest films in South Korea last year was Pandora - the story
of a similar nuclear accident and the cover-up by a corrupt government.
The threat of a nuclear armed North Korea is even more discomforting.

South
Korea wanted to develop their own nuclear weapons with help from France,
announcing so on June 14 1975. The US put pressure on France, who withdrew
their support. Under present agreements, South Korea are reliant upon
the US when it comes to nuclear support and military command.

THE
CHINA CONNECTION

There
is another incident with combative Mars in Sagittarius at 21 degrees and
closely opposing the USA's Gemini Mars. The capture of a US spy plane
by the Chinese on the morning of April 01 2001. It happened after a collision
with a Chinese jet, resulting in the death of that pilot. The US plane
was forced to make an emergency landing at Hainan Island.

The
crew, who had destroyed confidential information from their reconnaissance
mission, were held captive by the Chinese pending an apology. Although
the US did not formally apologise, they did express regret at what had
occurred and this was enough to end what had become the first international
crisis of the Bush presidency.

China's
relationship with modern North Korea extends back to the Korean War, when
Chinese troops ensured North Korean sovereignty. China supplies 85% of
North Korea's imports and buys roughly the same percentage of export.
While North Korea are a military threat, it is China that represent the
greatest challenge economically for US control of the Asian Pacific.

KEY
TIMES

As
the US continues its Asian pivot into the South China Sea with a plan
of Chinese containment, Mars returning to 22 degrees of Sagittarius will
be a time to watch. It happens in the first week of March next year. Mark
it down, but it's another planet currently sitting in that position that
holds the immediate key.

Restraining Saturn has been hovering around 22 degrees of Sagittarius
since early August, initially in retrograde motion. On August 25, it turned
stationary direct but won't really move away until the second week of
October. Saturn has been putting a handbrake on hostilities between North
Korea and the USA, despite the war of words and provocative irresponsible
actions of either side.

China's
secondary progressed Mars has now reached the 23rd degree of Virgo. It
runs uncomfortably square to both the USA birth Mars and North Korea's
progressed Mars. It is caught in the middle of both, just as China is.
There are key dates coming up in this crisis.

One
is around the three-quarter Moon of September 13, which has a strong connection
to the USA birthchart. Another is the period of September 24-26 as Mars
and Neptune oppose mudanely, also involving the wild card opposition of
Jupiter and Uranus on the World Axis.

The
other is the period between October 7 and 9, when Mars will trigger both
the USA and People's Republic of China charts. Actions taken around here
will tend to have long term ramifications. Expect some important announcements
from the Trump administration as the Sun and Mercury also meet up with
the US Saturn.

When assessing what is happening on the Korean peninsula today, the Forgotten
War, has to be remembered. Only by understanding the history of one of
the greatest population culls in the history of warfare, does North Korea's
desire for nuclear weapons to safeguard sovereignty make sense.

September
03

A
NUCLEAR CRISIS AND TALK OF WWIII – WHY?

Today
the world hovers closer to the brink of nuclear war than any time since
the 60's. If there was ever a need for wise heads and responsible negotiation,
it is now. Instead we have provocative threats and missile launches from
North Korea, relentless war games by South Korea and the USA along with
a threat by Donald Trump that he can deliver, 'fire and the fury like
the world has never seen'.

To
a dispassionate observer from another galaxy, such mindless militarisation
must seem like a collective insanity. Nationalism leading to mutually
assured destruction. Already the globe has suffered two World Wars in
barely a century. Yet what have we learned other than to waste more money
on even more destructive weapons, now capable of wiping out the entire
planet.

While
populations starve, the manufacturers of war unconscionably foster conflicts
across the globe. Political ideologists, who care more for their philosophy
than humanity, divide to conquer. Once sacred religions devolve to pulpits
of self-righteous sacrifice. And all the while, the pacifist who values
life above it all, is portrayed as the weak link in the chain.

So
why has it come to this? What planetary cycle bears relevance to the state
of the world. And what may it tell us about the future potential of war
and peace? And what strange relevance does it all have with both Hitler
and Napoleon?

The planet of the battlefield was the red planet Mars. Its cycles with
the Sun can tell us much about the patterns and timing of major conflict.
But first some words on cycles and why history seems mirrored, and sometime
mired, in them.

THE
THEME IS THE SAME – THE LYRICS VARY

History
never repeats exactly. To do so, at least from the astrological angle,
would require all the planets to duplicate their positions simultaneously.
That never happens. Planets have individual rates of motion and while
some cycles are repeating, others are charting a whole new course. Yet
often the hands of the cosmic clock get eerily close to those 'oh no not
again' moments.

The
more planets repeat simultaneously, the greater the likelihood of history
repeating. Such was so in 2014 when four planets duplicated an alignment
that had last formed in 1648. In that year there was revolution in the
Ukraine as the Cossacks broke free of the Polish Commonwealth and joined
the Russian fold. In 2014 the Ukraine revolted against Moscow's influence.

Sometimes
a single cycle can be revealing enough, for the purpose that it serves.
In the case of war and conflict, Mars is the 'go to' soldier. The most
obvious cycle to study is the Sun/Mars cycle that has a recurrence rate
of around two years. It also produces two longer cycles of 79 years and
205 years, where it appears in a similar position of the zodiac.

The
shorter cycles can be like successive chapters building on a theme, often
with the same characters and countries. The longer cycles outline the
core of the theme. Combing the two enables specific years or periods of
heightened conflict to be observed and/or expected well in advance.

CURRENT
MARS CYCLE

On
July 27 2017, fifty seven minutes into the day Universal Time, a new Sun
Mars synodic cycle was born. That's when the two bodies unite, roughly
every two years, in their heavenly journeys to once again renew their
clockwork dance.

Congress
approved a $54 billion increase for the Pentagon, the largest ever increase
in military spending. One day before the conjunction the FBI raided the
home of former Trump campaign manager, Paul Manafort. And just days before
Trump had tweeted of the presidential power to pardon, a reference to
ongoing investigations into Russian collusion with the Trump campaign.

As
the campaign started synchronous with the birth of the previous Sun/Mars
cycle, all of this is relevant. There was one other outstanding feature
of the Sun/Mars cycle which was playing out along more international lines.
The conjunction and new cycle had begun in the same Leo position that
Mars and the North Node had occupied during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

That
perilous stand-off, between the Soviets and the USA had put the world
on nuclear alert for what could have been World War Three. Sanity prevailed.
But what of the longer cycles of 79 and 205 years respectively. For Mars,
Mercury and the Sun repeat an identical pattern every 79 years and the
Sun/Mars at 205 year intervals. How did humanity respond?

THE
79 YEAR CYCLE AND WWII

The
longer cycle of Sun Mars repeating in the close to the same zodiacal area,
dates back to July 24 1938 when the conjunction began at 01LEO12. And
the events of the time make fascinating reading.

July
24 1938 was as warlike as it gets, with the Sun and Mars conjunction appearing
with foreboding Pluto. It began with the Sudetenland conflict. This was
the area of the newly formed Czechoslovakia, occupied by Germans. And
up until the end of World War One, part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Adolf
Hitler had determined to occupy this area, and used privations against
German nationals living there as the pretext for his invasion. He played
cat and mouse with Great Britain and France while informing the Regent
of Hungary that an invasion of Czechoslovakia lay ahead and that "he
who wants to sit at the table must at least help in the kitchen".

By
the late August of 1938, Winston Churchill had suggested an international
alliance as a counter to German aggression. Russia was willing to come
on board, but the British parliament greatly underestimated Hitler. Instead,
the world awaited the Fuehrer's address of September 12, at what would
be the final Nuremberg Rally. It was broadcast as far afield as the USA.

WORDS
OF WAR

Hitler's
speech attacked the Czech nation and its leadership. Yet the mood in the
US was not anti-Hitler. The Times had run a feature advising that Czechoslovakia
should return the Sudentenland and made Hitler their 'Man of the Year'.
Roosevelt made it clear that in the event of German aggression the US
would remain neutral.

Unlike
Russia, Britain and France were reluctant to go to war over the Sudenteland
and conveyed this to Czechoslovakia. Under such auspices the Munich Agreement
was signed off on in the early hours of September 30, minus Czech representation.
British PM Neville Chamberlain triumphantly proclaimed, “Peace for
our time!” How wrong he was.

What
is similar today to 1938? For starters we have the Mars repeat cycle with
the Sun in the same area of the heavens. Similarly Mercury will turn direct
on September 5 – in 1938 it did so on September 7 – with both
around 29 degrees Leo.

Mercury
and Mars will continue to follow the same pattern, including their retrograde
periods and stationary degrees, into and throughout 1939. And for us that
represents 2018, the year that lies ahead.

What
can be seen across the last cycle, is the laying of the foundations for
war. Again the Mars cycle is decisive. The Second World War was unleashed
once Mars finished its retrograde cycle and went direct in the 24th degree
of Capricorn. That was August 24 1939. As it stationed in the preceding
days, the final preparations were made.

THE
REAL DEAL

On
August 23 1939, Germany signed Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, a neutrality
agreement, with Russia. The British were alerted on the 24th and went
straight onto a war footing with assurances to Poland. Hitler cut all
phone contact with Europe on the 25th of August. At 1830 hours he postponed
the invasion of Poland for 5 days. At 04.45 hours on September 1 WWII
began.

You
may be thinking – what happened 79 years before 1938? Surely the
same pattern must have produced something. For America it did. The 1859
and 1860 years were preludes to the US Civil War. Lincoln's election in
the November of 1860 assured it. And then there is the 205 years cycle
bringing us to 1812.

Hounded
by a hawkish Congress, US President James Madison signed a declaration
of war against Great Britain on June 18 1812. Due to what could truly
be called snail mail the British didn't find out until weeks later. It
was also the year of Tecumseh’s Indian Wars. For Europe and Russia,
it coincides with the Napoleonic Wars and the invasion of Russia.

The
Sun, Mercury and Mars have a repetitive message. The theme is clear to
see. Today the only differences are the actors in the play. Who are the
modern Hitler's or Napoleons? What country is bent on world domination?
If subjective egos keep stumbling unconsciously onward the answers should
be evident. In a theatre of war hopefully not too close for comfort.

AUGUST
27

IT'S
ONLY JUST BEGUN

If
life is an opera the clear message of the August 21 Solar Eclipse is “it
ain't over until the fat lady sings”. Blissfully unaware of astral
implications, the US and South Korea decided that yet another war game
exercise would begin August 21 eclipse time, regardless of rising tensions.
And despite asking and receiving Russia and China's help with UN sanctions
on North Korea.

Since
the US Asian pivot began, with military build ups on their doorstep, Asian
countries have been arming up like never before. The inflexibility continues.
And defense budgets in the countries like the US and Australia have done
the same at the expense of national services. The obvious question becomes,
are we inviting and fast tracking for war?

Try
reversing the situation. How would we feel if a military superpower were
conducting the same provocative exercises on our borders every year since
1976? Is location so important. What role has that played in the militant
isolationist nature and nuclear ambitions of North Korea? Eclipses that
connect hold some answers.

The
last eclipse of the recurring 19 year Metonic cycle shown below, occurred
at 28LEO47 on August 22 1998. The current one of August 21 2017 is 28Leo52.
This eclipse cast it shadow across mainland USA, the 1998 one fell across
South East Asia. There is a prominent Mars on the Midheaven of the 1998
eclipse running up through the South China Sea. That Mars fell at the
first degree of Leo. The current Sun/Mars cycle began in the first degree
of Leo.

CHECKING
THE CONNECTIONS

Eclipses
occur in families and the developing story of eclipse cycles lies in studying
those families. And to what measure does location count? The accident
involving the John McCain, fell right on the path of totality of this
older family eclipse.

It led to activities involving all of the overseas US Fleets being put
on hold for 24 hours. That kind of command could only be if there is a
suspicion of cyber interference involved with the increasing frequency
of US naval accidents.

The
eclipse of 1998 proved highly significant for international relations
with North Korea. Ten days after the eclipse - August 31 - North Korea
flew a Daepodong-1 ballistic missile over Japanese airspace landing in
the ocean 200 miles further east.

It
caught the international community completely off guard and came as a
shock to US intelligence. The missile even changed course and eluded Moscow's
tracking. And it all happened as a North Korean delegation were in New
York debating the very nuclear issue.

On
April 17 1998 the USA placed sanctions on North Korea for sharing nuclear
technology with Pakistan. North Korea claimed that the sanctions violated
a 1994 agreement with the US. Hence the the stateside talks. There were
three meetings in all. As an offshoot - note too the recent US warning
to Pakistan.

The
Korean talks stalled by the October of 1998, square the eclipse date and
perhaps that marks a month worth watching this year around the 19th. The
sticking point was the issue of compensation for the abandonment of their
nuclear program.

US
budgetary restrictions meant they hadn't delivered promised light water
reactors to replace reactors that North Korea had destroyed. Neither were
some of the frozen assets returned within the agreed frame or restrictions
fully lifted from the original 1994 agreement. For North Korea all bets
were off.

FAT
MEN SING A CHORUS OF CACOPHONY

Come
2017 and the stakes are much higher. We have a more bellicose and nuclear
capable Kim Jong Un threatening nuclear strikes. Coupled with a hair trigger
US President promising, “fire and fury and frankly power the likes
of which the world has never seen before”.

China and Russia are urging for cooler heads and a hold on the immediate
war games. And US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, is confirming that
option is not on the negotiating table.

Regular
readers will know that I have covered this build up in the weeklies, now
available for reference on my political
astrology page where they are archived. But to briefly recap, I did
write up the looming problems of the Seventh Fleet in the Pacific, referring
to the Sun of their progressed horoscope squaring Mercury, forecasting
communication problems directly in this time period. That entry is under
July 9 update on this page link.

Also
covered in earlier columns was Trump's astromap and his combative birth
Mars setting over Pyongyang at the time of his published birth certificate
showing 10.54 am June 14 1946 in Queens, New York. This also places his
progressing Sun currently setting across the Korean border.

Astromapping
is a valuable tool for locating a leader's global influence. The same
progressions show Trump's Mercury, the communicator and negotiator, setting
and inching closer to Beijing. For this developing crisis there is already
a special Washington hotline arranged with China.

If
the astromapping continues to deliver such effective synchronicity, then
it makes not only this eclipse period and its current lunar cycle vitally
important, but also late December this year, when Trump's Progressing
Moon and transiting Nodal Axis will reach Beijing.

That's
why it isn't over while the fat men – Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump
sing. Right now they're decidedly out of tune with most of humanities
wishes. The nuclear option should be the real non negotiable item.

War
games in an atmosphere of 'miscommunication' surrounding the Seventh Fleet
in the Pacific, are like matches hovering over a petrol tank. The August
eclipse fell on North Korea's Saturn, the current Saturn station falls
on their Progressed Mars. This is all about restraint and responsibility
under the duress of sanctions.

ECLIPSING
THE PROMISES

Astrological
connections are observable realities. Planets either cross paths in the
heavens or they don't. It cannot be made up like a politician’s
promise – it's a physical, measurable and timed event. Planets also
have a traditional meaning. In the case of the visible ones descriptions
date back across millennia and permeates cross cultural mythologies.

With
that in mind, Donald Trump began his campaign with a New Moon on the war
planet Mars. The same New Moon fell near the USA's July 4 1776 Gemini
birth Mars. Donald Trump just happens to be born with his Sun and erratic
Uranus positioned on the same USA birth Mars. No escaping it.

The
day after Trump's campaign announcement, Dylann Roof entered a church
to commit multiple murders in a race hate crime he hoped would ignite
a racial war. Roof was an unrepentant white supremacist with a fondness
for the Confederate flag.

Coincidence
or sign of things to come? Either way this was full on Sun Mars stuff
to kickoff the last cycle. We recently entered a new succeeding Sun Mars
cycle from July 27. Look at how events have accelerated.

A
White House in turmoil - sackings,resignations en masse - Charlottesville
now replaces Charleston of last cycle - similar themes - it ain't no cosmic
conspiracy.

PROMISES,
PROMISES

Donald
Trump repeatedly promised and tweeted to cut back on the wasteful loss
of lives and spending on multiple overseas wars. It went down extremely
well, especially against an opponent widely regarded as an establishment
war hawk. And an American public tiring of constant war and budget deficits.

Despite
this pacifist promise in regard to military engagements, the Trump campaign
played out as the most combative and abusive in memory. Racial overtones,
anger and insults featured. The recent eclipse has been even more revealing.

Trump
has reversed his promise on Afghanistan, now committing more troops. But
should this be any surprise. As early as February 23 this year, four days
before another solar eclipse, he announced a budget request for one of
the “greatest military buildups in American history”.

Hasn't
he surrounded his administration with military appointments – a
cast of Generals to guide the White House. And don't we find internal
conflict, extending even to the streets? It has to reflect back to leadership
- and the multiple Mars connections.

Even
the recently pardoned ex-Sherrif - Joe Arpaio - was born June 14 with
his Sun on the USA Mars. Arpaio was facing possible jail time, although
possibly not chain gang stuff with pink pajamas as prescribed on his watch.
He was convicted for racial profiling. And gained national prominence
for his Obama birther conspiracy theory investigations.

Planets
don't lie but politicians can't seem to stop. Fake news is their specialty.
Yet the promise of changing Washington can't be to make it more oppressive.
America's greatness came through their diversity of ideas - not oligarchal
power. It's easy to get lost in the personal idiosyncrasies of one man
and lose the bigger picture of why he is here now.

Donald
Trump is just a player - a catalyst in America's evolution. His connections
with the horoscope of the USA are turning out to be right on the money.
The timing of the last eclipse on his chart has unmasked uncritical preconceptions.
Things simply won't be the same again. For when the thoughts of most Americans
change - the country eventually follows.

US
HURRICANES MIRROR LANDFALL DATES

Hurricane
Harvey is reeking havoc in Texas. It has some eye catching correlations
with Hurricane Katrina the costliest hurricane in US history, which also
affected Texas. They wrought maximum destruction at the same time, exactly
twelve years apart.

Both
made initial landfall on the same date of August 25. On that day Katrina's
top winds were 130 klm per hour and falling trees claimed two lives. But
worse lay ahead. She would return again at Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana
on the morning of the 29th at over 200 klm per hour claiming 1833 lives.

That was 12 years ago and one cycle of expansive Jupiter in airy Libra,
the planet associated with events on a big scale. For the astro record
here's the biwheel showing the two vital connections between Katrina and
Hurricane Harvey. Are they just coincidental? Or is the cosmos repeating
a profound message?

AUGUST
20

THE
NORTH AND THE SOUTH

The
most immediate picture formed by the Great American Eclipse of August
21 2017, is one of cutting the United States in half – literally
dividing the North from the South. It comes as Americans revisit the most
monumental separation in their history – the Civil War. All in light
of the August 12 riots in Charlottesville, Virginia and a divisive presidency.

There
have been two previous eclipses that emphasised the North v South polarity
of continental USA – 1869 and 1918. And there is a discernible correlation
to both, as in the one looming. The Ku Klux Klan and issues of white supremacy.
Yet again, the eclipse of 2017 ensnares a President, whose grasp of historical
'context' seems tenuous at best and selective at worst.

1869
ULYSSES GRANT AND THE KU-KLUX KLAN

1869
was the year that Ulysses S Grant became US President. He succeeded Andrew
Johnson, rated one of the worst ever. In fact if you examine the lowest
ranked, among them are Johnson, James Buchanan and Ulysses S Grant. All
are associated with the Civil War. The one notable exception and often
rated the greatest of all – Abraham Lincoln - governed for the duration
of the war.

Andrew
Johnson became the leader at the end of the Civil War, upon Lincoln's
assassination. Johnson's handling of America's 'Reconstruction' centered
upon restoring former Confederate states into the Union, unfortunately
without any assurance of African American civil rights

Under
Johnson the Southern States re-elected many of their former leaders and
introduced laws – called Black Codes – designed to restrict
blacks from basic freedoms. Johnson even went so far as to veto the April
9 1866 Civil Rights Bill. However a two thirds majority in each chamber
overturned his veto. Johnson was eventually impeached and narrowly escaped
removal from office.

ULYSSES
S GRANT VERUS KKK

Johnson
did not attend his successor's inauguration. By this time the shadowy
Ku Klux Klan - formed December 24 1865 – had established themselves
as a covert political power. Historians consider them responsible for
Grant's failure to secure Louisiana.

Between
200 to 300 blacks were killed or wounded in Louisiana, following the Opelousas
massacre from September 28. Whites also lost 40 to 50 lives in what amounted
to racial clashes over voter suppression, prior to the election of November
1868.

Ulysses
S Grant began to zealously reel in the Klan. The organisation had taken
to terror via murderous masked lynch mobs, operating under the cover of
darkness. The Ku Klux Klan Act was introduced April 20 1871. Grant created
a Department of Justice, enabling the government to declare martial law
and use military force to suppress the terror groups activities and prosecute
its members.

The
1869 Solar Eclipse, dividing the US North and South for Grant's swearing
in, cuts through the Mason-Dixon line. It symbolically depicts the resistance
of the die hard Southerners trying to maintain the status quo.

On
February 27 1869, John Willis Menard became the first Afro-American to
address Congress. His opponent had disputed Menard's electoral win. His
speech illustrated the voter suppression and anomalies. Although he received
greater support, neither were given the seat.

But
things were changing. On February 25, the following year, Hiram Revels
became the first black Senator. Grant's Enforcement Laws gradually led
to the suppression of the KKK. Although they would resurface during WWI,
with their activities exposed near another Solar Eclipse that similarly
divided the continent on June 8 1918.

THE
STATUES OF THE KKK REVIVAL

The
Klan's rebirth saw them much more integrated into American society under
the banner of “100% Americanism”. The rebirth was in opposition
to immigration numbers increasing and increasing competition for jobs
and changing the national demographics. A more restrictive US Immigration
Act came into force on October 6 1918.

But it was another headline that would spotlight the KKK and shock the
nation. The lynching and brutal murder of Mary Turner, eight months pregnant,
at midday on May 19 1918 in Lowndes County, Georgia, made the New York
Times. Her crime - speaking out against the lynching murder of her husband.

Although
the Governor of Georgia was given names and witnesses, no arrests were
made. Today, ' The Mary Turner Project' is dedicated to establishing a
national database on more than 2,600 documented lynchings in the U.S.

At
its peak, the Klan claim to have comprised of up to 15% of the eligible
population – mostly white Protestants. The KKK Washington March,
on August 8 1925, featured over 50,000 members. The Pennsylvania Avenue
procession of men and women, some on horseback, and brandishing the names
of their state wide chapters, continued for three hours.

During
this revival period, statues, such as the controversial one of General
Robert E Lee in Charlottesville, (May 21 1924) were erected. Often situated
outside government buildings and courthouses they were a stark reminder
of the unjust Jim Crow segregation laws. President Donald Trump's incomplete
and misleading grasp of American history overlooks this fact.

AUGUST 2017 - ECLIPSES AND CHARLOTTESVILLE

When
members of white supremist organisations descended on Charlottesville,
Virginia, to protest the removal of a Robert E Lee statue, it was days
after the August 8 Lunar eclipse, leading into the August 21 Solar Eclipse
that geographically divides the USA. The same eclipse is due to hone in
on Trump's 29 degree Leo Ascendant close to his combative Mars. And it's
already working.

The
eclipse is reviving a racial theme and eclipsing the President's public
image and relationships, starting with the abandonment of his business
advisory panel and arts committee. Encompassing the sacking (or resignation)
of his senior advisor and campaign manager, Steve Bannon. The President
also has Saturn transiting conjunct to his Moon and opposing his Sun,
a cold placement of emotional removal and isolation.

But
the eclipse affects all of America and it seems more than coincidental
that at another North/South divide, the old theme of racism and white
supremacy has resurfaced. Along with the memories of the Civil War and
a new reflection in the light of today.

It's not so unusual. The issue goes way back to the 1787 drafting of the
Constitution. Back then, 43% of South Carolina's population were slaves,
36% of Virginia, 35% of Georgia. Yet Massachusetts was virtually slave
free, Pennsylvania where they were meeting had around 1%, as did Connecticut.
New York was down to 6%. So compromise was exercised - for a time.

SAROS
CORRELATIONS

There
is another way to examine eclipse cycles. Scientists use both the Saros
method, grouping them into families, operating over 1300 years and repeating
every of 18 years and 9 to 11 days.

The
Great American Eclipse of 2017 belongs to Saros Series 145. This links
back to 1963, a pivotal year for the Civil Rights movement in America.
It began with the new Governor of Alabama George Wallace and his inaugural
January 14 speech declaring, "segregation now, segregation tomorrow,
and segregation forever!"

It
continued with the marches of Birmingham, Alabama, the jailing of Martin
Luther King and the showdown between Governor Wallace and the US President
John F. Kennedy, who promised a new Civil Rights Bill.

It
accelerated with the August 28 'March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom',
the largest protest in US history and Martin Luther King's 'I Have Dream
Speech'. The November 22 assassination of JFK was widely mourned by the
civil rights supporters. And Malcolm X's Detroit speech for revolution
wound out the year. 1963 was a major turning point.

The
same Saros Series connects with 1945, another pivotal year for human rights,
with the inaugural meeting of the United Nations on October 24. Again
bringing presidential change in the US, as Roosevelt's passing introduced
Harry Truman to office. And the July 16 detonation of the first Atomic
Bomb, launching nuclear warfare on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6
and 9, and ending World War Two.

NEVER ENDING STORY

Of
course the conflict never really ended for Korea. On September 8 1945
American troops occupied the South, whilst Soviets occupied the North
and the country was divided at the 38th parallel. The US has remained
following the stalemate of the Korean Civil War, along with the 38th parallel.
So there remains division on both sides and in between.

On
August 13 1945, the Zionist World Congress discussed the founding of the
country of Israel with the British government. This followed the assassination
of Lord Moyne, the highest ranking British official in the Middle East.
It sent shock waves around the world and produced a withering attack in
the House of Commons from Winston Churchill fuming.

“If
our dreams for Zionism are to end in the smoke of assassins' pistols and
our labours for its future to produce only a new set of gangsters worthy
of Nazi Germany, many like myself will have to reconsider the position
we have maintained so consistently and so long in the past. If there is
to be any hope of a peaceful and successful future for Zionism, these
wicked activities must cease, and those responsible for them must be destroyed
root and branch.”

CAPTURING
THE THEMES

Analysing
the Saros connection helps to pinpoint some of the global political themes
playing out again in 2017. Much of this is also covered in the archived
political astrology page which
has a wealth of such comparisons. And I will be addressing it further
here.

Ideally
these cycles are better addressed the second or third time around. The
opportunity for new and different steps is presented. History doesn't
have to repeat like a broken record. The idea is to involve and resolve
the theme, in an evolutionary manner.

In
that endeavour, history, and more importantly the logical understanding
of it, becomes essential to ensuring we are not ensnared in a robotic
time warp. Awareness is the ultimate mechanism of change. To know how
and why we got there. Understand where it is coming from, before you decide
where it should be going.

Trump's
presidency is thrust increasingly under the magnifying glass, courtesy
of his own horoscope's multiple links to this August eclipse. So too is
the division of Korea, Israel and the Middle East, including the Iraq/Iran
connections and even Egypt, when one considers the assassination of Sadat
came under Saros 145. It also historically stresses US influence on the
politics of Middle and Latin America.

But
on home soil Civil Rights will take precedence and Charlottesville was
the catalyst. Be assured it won't end there. It's too important for that.

TURNBULL'S
TURMOIL

Wrapping
up elsewhere, there was turmoil in Australian politics this week with
the Deputy PM potentially unqualified for his post due to dual citizenship
and the Constitution.

Last
year I addressed the instability of the Turnbull government for mid 2017
in the Federation of Astrologers 'Eye In The Sky' column based on his
swearing in chart of last year. I will be elaborating on it here too,
but space is limited this week, as for Barcelona and Finland.

Meantime to my stateside friends, pray for a cloudless day come August
21, enjoy the magnificence of this eclipse. It's a once in a lifetime
experience. The link between the heavens and the earth is never more evident.
Your sun sign synopsis is included below.

AUGUST
13

DON'T
MENTION THE CRUSADES

When
General Allenby walked through the Gates of Jerusalem to reclaim the Holy
Lands for the Allies in WWI, the British press were put on notice. Don't
mention the word crusade! It didn't stop the Punch from printing a provocative
cartoon one week later.

The
image titled 'The Last Crusade' depicted King Richard 'The Lionheart'
looking back over his shoulder musing, 'My wish come true'. The establishment
were not amused. War was enough and this was now about establishing peace
with a new ally.

Richard
was named by his French title - Couer-de-leon – a term also describing
a legendary fixed star, positioned in the heart of the Leo constellation.
Lions were the symbol of royalty from Mesopotamia and Egypt beyond. The
Latin name is Regulus. And it has a compelling connection to Middle East
history and the establishment of modern Israel.

REGULUS
AND THE TRUE CROSS

Legend
has it, on August 5 1099, only weeks after Jerusalem fell to the First
Crusade, a relic of the True Cross was handed to crusader clergyman Arnulf,
by one of the surviving inhabitants. On that day the Sun had come to meet
Regulus in exact conjunction. A week later Godfrey of Bouillon, the new
King of Jerusalem, led into a final battle with the Cross and considered
the mission fully accomplished.

Regulus
is a fixed star system, lying close to the ecliptic (path of the Sun across
Earth), at a distance of approximately 79 light years. It's a number that
the Sun also shares with Mars, the lord of the battlefield. Every 79 years
the Sun and Mars return to similar placements in the heavens. And when
Mars comes to meet Regulus, roughly every two years, it seems to set the
scene for one.

WORLD
WAR ONE

Mars
and the Moon had only just began departing Regulus, on June 28 1914, when
the Archduke Ferdinand and wife Duchess Sophie, were assassinated, a major
trigger for World War One. Mars next return to Regulus was a station in
January of 1916 finally departing by late May. It was pivotal for the
Allied war effort and future planning, but began disastrously.

January
9 1916
– The failure and complete evacuation of Gallipoli campaign.January 16 1916 - Ottoman Empire forces defeat
the Allied British in what is modern day Iraq at the Battle of Wadi.April 29 1916 - Siege of Kut - British forces
surrender to the Ottoman Empire south of Baghdad. This has been dubbed,”the
most abject capitulation in Britain’s military history.”

On
top of thirty thousand deaths - thirteen thousand troops were captured.
During the siege the British government offered today's equivalent of
$122 million and a promise to cease fighting the Ottomans for the troops
return. The offer was refused.

During this time Britain was also appealing to the Arab leadership for
support. The promise was liberation and their own independent state. Correspondence
heightened during the same Mars retrograde and triple pass across Regulus.
The dream of Arab nationalism won out.

Unbeknown
to the Arab leadership, Great Britain and France already had their own
designs on the Middle East. The Sykes/Picot agreement, signed on May 16
1916 was an imperialist division of the Ottoman territories, should they
win. The agreement horoscope shows Mars near Regulus and squared by the
Sun.

The
next, and final, Mars to Regulus of WWI, would coincide with a turning
point that would reshape Palestine and divide the Middle East completely.
It came not as a battle, though it would be the source of the most enduring
ones across the 20th and now 21st century. It came as a letter posted
November 2 1917 and known as the Balfour Declaration.

THE
BALFOUR DECLARATION

War
is an expensive exercise. As it dragged on British coffers ran dry. The
Lord of the Admiralty, Arthur Balfour, embarked for the USA in search
of financial support. He found it in the form of the largest loan ever
granted at the time - $500 million - on September 28 1915. The Bank of
England records document the date of issue as October 15.

London,
then the financial capital of the world, was ceding to New York. Mindful
of the fact that the Rothschilds had financed Wellington's victory in
the Napoleonic wars, exactly one hundred years earlier, the newly formed
Zionist movement was also targeted. The family had already begun financially
supporting a return to Palestine by 1914.

The
idea was not new. But it wasn't until the Great War that the plan was
presented to the parliament by another Jewish member, Herbert Samuels.
He could have hardly guessed he would later become the first Jew to govern
Jerusalem in 2000 years.

Samuels
later circulated a memorandum, 'The Future of Palestine', discussed by
Cabinet on March 13 1915. He proposed that although it is too soon for
an independent Jewish state - 90% of the population were Palestinians
- incorporating it into the British Empire “would be much the most
welcome to the leaders and supporters of the Zionist movement throughout
the world".

HOME
RULE

The
reaction of the Prime Minister Asquith was one of bemusement, but interestingly
reveals the grander scope of the plan. Asquith recorded, "I have
just received from Herbert Samuel a memorandum headed 'The Future of Palestine'.
He thinks we might plant in this not very promising territory about three
or four million European Jews, and that this would have a good effect
on those left behind.”

"I
think I have already referred to Herbert Samuel's dithyrambic memorandum,
urging that in carving up the Turks' Asiatic dominions we should take
Palestine, into which the scattered Jews would in time swarm back from
all quarters of the globe, and in due course obtain Home Rule.”

“Curiously
enough, the only other partisan of this proposal is Lloyd George, who
I need not say, does not care a damn for the Jews or their past or their
future, but thinks it will be an outrage to let the Holy Places pass into
the possession or the protection of 'agnostic, atheistic France'"

ATTLEE
RESIGNS

As
fate would have it, between 7 and 7.30 pm on December 5 1916, Asquith
suddenly tendered his resignation to the King, who would appoint Lloyd
George, without an election. The deal was now firmly on the table and
the matter was taken up with correspondence between the new British Foreign
Secretary Arthur Balfour and English Baron Walter Rothschild.

It
was Balfour who requested Rothschild to draft what became the Balfour
Declaration. On July 18 1917 Rothschild returned a draft to Balfour that
opened. “1. His Majesty's Government accepts the principle that
Palestine should be reconstituted as the National Home of the Jewish People.”

And
so it was that on November 2 1917 – the last time that Mars would
join Regulus for WWI – Balfour's famous declaration was returned
to Lord Walter Rothschild in writing.

UNITED
NATIONS PARTITION PLAN

In
1947/48, Mars would again turn retrograde in Leo. It would repeat its
three conjunctions with the fixed star Regulus. And the shadow thrown
by the events from World War One, would again hang over the Middle East.
And again they would come in the form of war...and broken promises. The
exactness and timing of these conjunctions would be nothing short of remarkable.

The
first meeting of Mars exact to Regulus took place
on November 29 1947 – the same day that the United Nations passed
Resolution 181 as the Palestinian Partition Plan. It was the division
of the Palestinian territory into separate Jewish and Arab territories,
with Jerusalem under international control.

The
Arabs wanted a democratic vote for self determination according to the
UN Charter. They opposed the partitioning. The Zionist movement was in
favour. The United Nations vote favoured the Zionist cause by 33 votes
to 13 with 10 abstaining and 1 absentee. But not before some extraordinary
lobbying took place.

Twenty-six
US Senators signed a letter pressuring several UN member states to vote
for the partition. Those in need of post war aid were targeted. President
Truman later wrote, "The facts were that not only were there pressure
movements around the United Nations unlike anything that had been seen
there before, but that the White House, too, was subjected to a constant
barrage."

Israel
declared nationhood at 16.00 hours on May 14 1948 in Tel Aviv. The British
Mandate expired at midnight leading into May 15 1948. What a time for
Mars to be returning to meet Regulus. The conjunction was exact on the
16th with the Moon accompanying. War between the Arabs and Jews was immediate
and expected.

HOPE
SPRINGS ETERNAL

The
last retrograde cycle of Mars to make three conjunctions to Regulus occurred
exact between Dec 11 1994 and May 25 1995. It started with promise and
again right on time. On December 10 Israeli Prime Minister Yitshak Rabin
and Palestinian leader, Yassar Arafat, were both awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize.

It
was in the wake of the Oslo Accords, signed August 20 the year before
as the Sun came to Regulus with Saturn opposed. It didn't last. Extremists
on both sides continued to erode the process. The culmination came when
a New York Jewish nationalist assassinated the Israel Prime Minister on
November 4 1995, at a peace rally.

NEW
MILLENNIUM – NEW HOPE

In
the northern summer of 2000 President Clinton hoped his lasting legacy
would be a final peace plan between the Israelis and Palestinians. Palestine's
leader, Yassar Arafat, had already nominated the day for a new Palestine
– September 13 2000 – to mark the seventh anniversary of the
prior Oslo Accord White House signing and famous handshake with Yitzhak
Rabin.

The
talks between Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Arafat broke down
over Jerusalem. September 13 2000 came and Mars was moving on Regulus
– it was exact on the 17th. By the end of the month, the Second
Intifada (Liberation War) had begun. By mid July 2006, with Mars again
on Regulus, Israel would be at war with Lebanon.

RAID
ON THE GAZA FLOTILLA

On
May 31 2010 an international flotilla set out for Gaza, loaded with humanitarian
aid and building supplies. Israeli commandos conducted an air-drop raid
in international waters upon the Turkish ship MV Mavi Mamara. It resulted
in the death of eight Turkish members and one Turkish American.

The
deaths froze relations between Israel and Turkey. The plight of Gaza was
widely debated and protests were held throughout Europe. Mars was returning
to meet Regulus as the drama unfolded and escalated. But the publicity
of the plight of the Gaza residents was worldwide news.

WHY
IT'S SO IMPORTANT 2017 + 2019

The
upcoming Solar Eclipse will fall on Regulus. As the lunar cycle advances
to the First Quarter Moon, messenger Mercury also join the royal star
as Mars nears. The Full Moon period of September 5 and 6 brings Mars to
Regulus, as negotiating Mercury begins to move direct. It may well be
brewing a new development in this ongoing saga.

Keeping
in mind that Israel, their Prime Minister Bin Netanyahu and US President
Donald Trump all have their Mars conjunct Regulus, it has to factor their
own lives into the picture. The stalling and charade have polarised international
opinion. Something has to be achieved.

In
August 2019 Mars will again return to Regulus from the 18th which also
fields the conjunctions of peacemaker Venus on he 21st and the Sun by
the 23rd. This accentuated focus on a star that has been pivotal to the
Middle East opens two time windows to watch.

It's
impossible to turn back time. It is there to learn from. The Balfour Declaration
was not only written proof of a promise, but consolidating Britain's attempt
to hold empire and power in the oil rich Middle East. A hold and control
that has fostered constant war and double dealing. For the one people
who never got to decide their fate, were those who actually lived there

AUGUST
6

OMENS
AND EAGLES

Operation
Eagle Claw? It was the one chart in my database that duplicated the dominant
quadriform aspect pattern with the same planets that began the 2016 Republican
Convention. Planetary patterns ultimately offer a key to unveiling the
mysteries of time, events and predictions.

Eagle
Claw was President Carter's 1979 crash and burn rescue mission for US
hostages held in the Tehran Embassy, following the Islamic Revolution.
But how could the Republican Party possibly crash and burn their own convention?
Well sometimes a picture...

GETTING
DOWN TO SERIOUS BUSINESS

It
was the beginning of 2016. I was working dual assignments. One - writing
my annual World Prediction column. The other to finalise a shorter 2,500
word article on eclipses of for my editor Kelly Surtees of Well Being
Astrology Guide 2017. The biggie was the August 21 2017 Great American
eclipse.

There
were obvious patterns. Eclipses in the same area of Leo had been a 20th
century disaster for Presidents, as well as royalty. They fell on Regulus
the Royal Star of Persia. They echoed the findings of British archaeologist
R.C.. Thompson in his 1901 classic 'Reports of the Ancient Magicians and
Astrologers of Nineveh and Babylon'. “When Regulus is dim the director
of the palace will die.”

Carved
in stone stuff reads grim and written in days when life was grim. Don't
take it literally. Bill Clinton didn't expire at the 1998 eclipse nor
Jimmy Carter in 1979. But their stars certainly dimmed with the Lewinsky
exposure and the Iranian hostage crisis. And closer to the source of the
omen, the Shah of Iran, fled his homeland in 1979 in genuine fear of his
life. Suddenly, the Royal Star of Persia was sounding like an eerie omen.

REGULUS
AND THE ISLAMIC REVOLUTION

The
Shah's exit would replace a pro-western monarchy with an autocratic theocracy.
But one thing stood out. The moment the Shah's plane departed Tehran's
tarmac, at 13.24 hours January 16 1979, the Moon was 29LEO22, on the exact
degree of Regulus. This was well ahead of the August eclipse.

But
then eclipses, like sunspots, occur in opposite pairs on opposite months.
February brought the Revolution. The exiled cleric Rohulla Khomeini flew
into Tehran, to an outpouring welcome estimated at four million people.
The new Islamic Republic was shifting political and economic control of
Iran away from decades of western control.

Western
hopes lay with insurrection through the Iranian Kurds, similar to today
in Iraq. Intent of creating their own separate state, the Kurds provided
the largest nationwide uprising against the new rulers. The August eclipse
on Regulus would prove decisive.

On
August 17 1979, Khomeini declared a jihad against Kurdish 'enemies of
state'. The Iranian army began the Seige of Mahabad on August 20. The
very symbolic August eclipse came on the 22nd, appearing exactly with
the setting Sun in Tehran. The Kurds would be defeated and the Shah would
never return.

Before
the year was out Iranian students would storm the US Embassy, holding
52 Americans hostage for 444 days. Jimmy Carter's hopes of a second term
as US President went with them in an failed rescue operation code named
Operation Eagle Claw. It was aborted in the Iranian desert with military
Mars conjunct Regulus.

1998
BIN LADEN AND THE FATWA

The
1998 Sunni fatwa of the World Islamic Front for Jihad Against Jew and
Crusader, directly dictated by Osama bin Laden, was a declaration of war
against America and Americans - international in scope. He delivered it
on February 26 1998. A Solar Eclipse took place the very next day.

The
February Solar Eclipse was particularly ominous with the Sun and Moon
in square with a commanding and destructive Pluto. The Sun and Moon were
also united to Mercury the messenger and Jupiter the planet of religion
and self righteousness. Combative Mars was in semisquare to rebellious
Uranus. It was all a perfect combination for a growing Al Qaeda network.

The
Solar Eclipse landing with Regulus was due on August 21. It would prove
telling. But the preceding Lunar Eclipse of August 8 showed just how lethal
Bin Laden's jihad proclamation had become. In fact the uncannily close
timing on these events proved even more precise than 1979.

Simultaneously,
between 10.30 and 10.40 am. on August 7, 1998, the US Embassies in Nairobi,
Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania were bombed. The attacks, linked to
the earlier fatwa, killed 224 and injure over 4,500.

BOTCHED
REVENGE

On
the August 20, the day before the Solar Eclipse with Regulus, the Clinton
administration announced a revenge attack. Operation Infinite Reach had
been carried out at 1.30 pm Washington time on targets in Afghanistan
and the Sudan. This was the first pre-emptive US strike against an aggressive
non-state operator.

Cruise
missiles breached Pakistan's air space, with a sparse ten minutes warning.
A necessary precaution in case Pakistan thought they were under attack
from India, triggering an all out Asian war.

The
US were careful not to reveal the plan in advance to Pakistani intelligence,
nor the Afghanistan government and Taliban leadership. It was to no avail
as Bin Laden was not in their target area. To compound that failure, stray
missiles had killed Pakistani villagers.

The
simultaneous strike ordered on a Sudanese chemical factory proved to have
no current connection to Al Qaeda. After $750,000,000 of weapons were
unleashed, the collateral damage was costly. Clinton's pre-emptive failed
mission had fractured trust with critical intelligence sources and emboldened
Bin Laden's supporters.

The
Republicans went on the attack. Only three days before Bill Clinton had
testified in the Monica Lewinsky inquiry. Was his judgement clouded? Was
the attack prepared as a premature change of media narrative. Either way
the President would be impeached by December 19...three days after he
okayed a new bombing raid on Iraq.

A
MILTANT PRESIDENCY

The
coming Lunar Eclipse of August 7 in Washington will fall again on the
degree it occupied during the simultaneous US Embassy bombings. The August
21 2017 Eclipse remains within the bounds of Regulus – one degree
and sixteen minutes away. Regulus sits on the current President's own
Ascendant. Trump has packed the White House with Generals.

The
first Solar Eclipse of 2017 took place on February 27 in Washington. On
the 28th Donald Trump gave his first gave his first public address before
Congress. He announced the creation of the Homeland State Security for
counter terrorism. He declared sanctions on entities and individuals who
support Iran's ballistic missile progress.

The
address had a heavy military emphasis reaffirming an unbreakable alliance
with the state of Israel and a ten percent increase in military spending.
It followed a botched operation in Yemen which took out more civilians
than enemies, including the loss of navy seal Roy Owens.

Trump
made Owen's grieving wife the emotional show-piece of his speech. Owen's
father refused to attend. The upcoming eclipse is related to all of this,
just as the previous cycle proved. The February eclipse occurred with
clandestine Neptune. It featured a sudden strike Mars to Uranus conjunction.

While
all eyes are on North Korea – they should not divert from the Middle
East. If there's one thing Trump, Netanyahu and his Republican idealogues
follow it is scuttling the Iran deal. He has even assembled a team to
look into how it can be done.

I
have written countless times that the war planet of Mars in the horoscopes
of Trump, Netanyahu and Israel are all conjunct in Leo and uncomfortably
close to Regulus. It's not only the eclipse that's heading there but Mars
follows.

Next
week I will explain multiple other Regulus historical and future connections
which help explain the Middle East conundrum. Meantime the connection
of Operation Eagle Claw, the Republican Convention and Trump's cantankerous
Eagle photoshoot may be a peculiar omen. Sometimes a picture is worth
a thousand words.

30
July

THE
SUN MARS CYCLE

Mars
as many of you know occupies the mantle of the 'God of War' in the planetary
pantheon. It's not a recent honour. In the far millennia of Babylonian
times, when cuneiform symbols were carved into clay tablets, the red planet
(then known as Nergal), was also represented as a lord of storms, pestilence
and war in the land.

The
Romans rated Mars as their second most important god after Jupiter. The
red planet was associated with warriors and wolves. Augustus dedicated
a temple to Mars on the heliacal setting of the constellation Scorpio,
the sign of war. It was to be used by the Senate, whenever decisions of
war were taken.

The
Sun is now with Mars and the US Senate have been at war, with themselves
and the President over the repeal and replacement of the Healthcare Act.
Ironically, it was a former war hero, John McCain, who cast the deciding
No vote.

The
Trump administration have been in freefall at the White House since the
decision to appoint firebrand Anthony Scaramucci as Communications Director,
with multiple resignations and internal dissension.

Plus
there has been controversy over the President's transgender ban on military
personnel. He claims to have consulted the generals and they have fired
back, 'tweets are not policy', and that this was not a directive from
the Defense Department.

And this is happening at the conclusion of one Sun to Mars cycle, and
the beginning of a fresh one. The one just finishing was the one that
propelled Trump into the White House. Here is the last cycle from beginning
to end, with its crucial turning points.

THE
SUN MARS CYCLE FOUR TURNING POINTS.

JUNE
14 2015 SUN CONJUNCT MARS
Donald Trump's 69th birthday arrives with combative Mars conjunct his
Sun. Two days later, coinciding with a Gemini New Moon on Mars, he announces
his presidential candidacy at 11.21 am in New York. It will become the
most volatile campaign of all.

FEB
7 2016 SUN DEPARTING SQUARE FROM MARS
On February 6 Republican debate Trump is booed by the audience, who he
accuses of being filled by paid Bush supporters. On the 13th,with the
square still in aspect, Trump turned the next televised Republican debate
into what one reporter called “a cage match”. It was a free-for-all,
and Trump was dictating the chaos. He went on all out attack and no-one
was spared the barbs, insults and ridicule. Ratings soared.

MAY
22 2016 SUN OPPOSITE MARS
The opposition is a culmination point, revealing the cycle's full potential.
Two days following this opposition, world headlines read that for the
first time since the announcing his campaign, Donald Trump was polling
better than Hillary Clinton. The possibility of a Trump presidency is
revealed with the cycle in full swing.

SEP
13 2016 SUN SQUARE BACK TO TO MARS
After Clinton had cleared to an 8 point poll lead during August, her margin
began to rapidly evaporate. By the mid-September date above, Trump had
cut it down to a mere one per-cent. States that she had held, like Florida
were slipping away. Trump was now rated a better than 40% chance of victory.

JULY
26 2017 SUN CONJUNCT MARS
Interesting from the outset as this Mars opposes the position of Trump's
November 2016 election victory.July 21- With the conjunction in orb, White
House Press Secretary Sean Spicer resigns in a vehement protest at the
appointment of financier Anthony Scaramucci as Communications Director.
July 23 - With the Sun and Mars on the Midheaven
over Washington Scaramucci incredibly tweets “Full transparency:
I'm deleting old tweets. Past views evolved & shouldn't be a distraction.
I serve @POTUS agenda & that's all that matters”. He has deleted
all of his previous anti-Trump tweets for transperancy?July 26 - Trump uses Twitter to announce
a transgender ban on the military. Claims it was after consultation with
the military.The army chiefs, taken by surprise, deny involvement. New
attack dog Scaramucci launches a foul mouthed attack on White House Chief
of Staff Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon. It is a prelude to making Priebus,
the shortest serving Chief of Staff in history.July 29 - Trump via Twitter again “I
would like to thank Reince Priebus for his service and dedication to his
country. We accomplished a lot together and I am proud of him.”
Replaces him with General John Kelly, keeping with the Mars military connection.

This
dissension is all occurring at the conclusion of a Sun Mars synodic transit
cycle and setting the scene for the new one, which it is also the beginning
of.

The
next Sun to Mars square is due March 25 2018. It is in following with
a similar time frame that I wrote about last week re the USA's SP Sun
fielding the transit of Neptune which also coincided with major turning
points. Here's the link on that article.

This Sun Mars cycle seems more attached to Trump's natural aggression
and discord within his Republican Party. The next square will be critical.
But outside of that chaos there are other far more fascinating and important
connections to the current Mars position that starts this cycle and its
correspondence to historical events.

THE
BIG PICTURE

The
current Sun Mars conjunction is reactivating the Leo Mars position held
at the height the Cuban Missile Crisis between October 22-24 1962. This
showdown between Russia, Cuba and the USA brought the world the closest
it has has been to nuclear war. US forces were ordered to DEFCON 2, the
highest level in US history. Luckily, back then, Mars was also in opposition
to restraining Saturn.

North
Korea launched another ballistic missile on Friday July 28 at 11.41 pm
South Korean time. The Sun and Mars were concentrated on the Mars position
of the Cuban Missile Crisis. And Mars has an explosive track record in
this degree. Mars was also at 5 degrees of Leo when dynamite was first
patented. It's not so great for Trump either – it was at 5 degrees
of Leo when Comey was sworn in.

Right
now, with the US President battling an historical ratings low, thanks
to a undermining Russian probe, ongoing failed legislation and White House
back stabbing, any change of national narrative would be a blessing. And
the most successful presidential cure for dismal polling has been historically
been via conflict. Or at least the threat of one.

North
Korea is perfect media for Trump. His own horoscope shows the Sun to meet
his birth Mars a day prior to the upcoming August 21 solar eclipse and
his Mars return is due on the 31st. So, depending upon the way you look
at it, that missile launch, could have occurred at a most opportune time.

This
is where some extra cycle work is needed. The more parallels that can
be drawn the better chance of any reliable picture forming. It's not as
anything is written in stone, as some like to fantasize.

But
there are discernible patterns to history, that underline the axiom that
history repeats. It may never be exactly the same, but the repeat periods
uncannily align with the cosmic planetary clocks, and replicate the symbolism.

THE
CURRENT CYCLE AND ITS HISTORICAL RELEVANCE

The
current cycle got underway with the Sun and Mars conjunction at 04Leo12
on July 26. This cycle will reach culmination exactly a year onward on
July 27 2018 the Sun opposes Mars at 04Aqua08. Just like the last Sun/Mars
cycle I exampled above, the opposition point brings out the full potential.
But there's more.

Some
may recall that Mars made its closest approach to
Earth for 60,000 years in late August 2003. It shone brighter than
Jupiter in the night sky. Well immediately following
the Sun Mars opposition of July 27 2018, it will come the closest again.
Very similar to 2003 - the year of the invasion of Iraq. But a
boon for all astronomers, professional and amateur.

This
2018 opposition – the culmination of this cycle - is falling in
the fifth degree of Aquarius. It's precisely on the Mars position of the
formation of the Seventh Fleet that won the Pacific War and still patrol
that domain. Plus Mars will repeat the exact degree of sinking of the
USS Maine, the catalyst that sparked the Spanish American War.

THE
EVEN BIGGER PICTURE

The
next key in the cycle is by asking do the Sun and Mars repeat their placements
of 2017 and 2018? Can this cycle be matched with the same or similar phenomena
in the past? The answer is yes – they have a 79 year recurrence
cycle that runs very close to the mark.

On
the 24th of July 1938 the Sun and Mars came together in early Leo and
the following year of 1939 formed the opposition exiting Capricorn and
entering Aquarius. The opposition preceded WWII. This current cycle bears
close watching in terms of history. And if you want to go back further
it will bring you into 1859/60, the preceding years of the US Civil War.

BACK
TO THE NOW

Lastly
any Sun Mars conjunction usually brings tribulations to leaders, as the
Sun represents them. At this conjunction, Pakistan's billionaire President
Sharif Nawaz has been removed by the courts, courtesy of the Panama Papers
revelations. And its hardly the time for Venezuelan President, Nicolas
Maduro, to be holding elections this Sunday. But he is. And it's already
looking like civil war.

The
conjunction functions on so many levels they far exceed my weekly column,
which I advise you read twice to get the detail. This conjunction was
also the Mars returnof
Central Station, Sydney. At the conjunction a man was shot and
killed by police after he had threatened civilians with a weapon at Central.
In the Sydney CBD a Iranian set himself alight with petrol. You can hardly
get more Mars than that fiery example. Luckily, he was saved with superficial
burns.

As
the Sun/Mars conjunction lands on the Australian First Settlement's Descendant
and precisely opposes the same January 26 1788 Sydney Aquarian Sun, police
conducted a co-ordinated terrorist cell raid from 1 pm July 29. This would
seem highly significant as Mars was conjunct the same Sun for the 2014
Martin Place seige.

That's
why it's essential that we keep our cool when flames of passions dictate
sensibility. The assertive Sun Mars may be great for getting something
happening but it has its downside on the aggressive side. And its been
something recognised and written on from Babylonian days. Time to take
extra care this week as the Sun and Mars still ride shotgun together.

JULY
23

ALL
IN THE TIMING

It
was early Wednesday morning, precisely 02.49 am November 9 2016, in New
York, when Donald Trump proclaimed victory in the US presidential election.
I noted the time, watching from my hotel room in upstate Buffalo. Angry
Mars had just entered collective Aquarius and was tied to a tight and
testy semisquare to governmental Saturn. Trouble ahead...yes...given time!

It's
over eight months later and antagonistic Mars is entering Leo. It's opposing
the position it held when Trump casually uttered, “Sorry to keep
you waiting complicated business; complicated.” Perhaps he never
envisioned just how complicated it could get. A transiting New Moon is
magnifying Mars, pouring fuel on the fire. It's due July 23.

There's
another way to time the same troubles using secondary progressions. The
Progressed Moon of the early morning Trump victory speech chart has just
now reached Saturn, and is reflexively hard angled to the Mars. The orbs
are virtually exact. And look at what's going down.

Congress
pass Russian sanctions setting up a potential showdown with the White
House. Media spokesperson Sean Spicer abandons ship and jumps for his
sanity – or what remains of it. Wall Streeter Anthony Scaramucci
becomes the new spin doctor for a President in constant chaos.

For
a besieged Donald Trump, born with aggressive Mars rising, attack is the
best form of defense. Already he has engaged the 'fake press', to publicly
ridicule his Attorney General, and advised FBI director Robert Mueller
to keep Trump finances out of the Russian probe. But what's the big picture
saying?

SIGNS
AND SEASONS

Last
week I explained how Neptune timed turning points in the Trump phenomena.
The first weeks of September and December 2017 and especially the third
week of February 2018 should present enormous challenges to the President
and administration. The last two look especially critical. Multiple astrological
techniques support this Neptunian theme.

Astrologers of yore, cast localised horoscopes for the precise moment
of the equinoxes and solstices. The charts offered a larger overview of
the year's promise. Many traditionalists still work this way. The horoscopes
are called ingresses (entry points) as they signify the beginning of the
four seasons in a given location.

The
2017 Washington ingresses repeat an extremely rare pattern. Three of the
four ingress charts have Neptune rising at the Ascendant and Saturn in
the administrative Midheaven. Even the USA's solar return (Sibly chart)
for 2017 duplicates this design. You can't make this stuff up! It simply
is. Click here for the three
Ingress charts

As
Neptune rises in the three Ingress charts, a spectre hovers over Washington.
A beguiling and deceptive atmosphere that is paralyzing progress. Partly
because Neptune is moving retrograde and has been since mid June and is
so positioned in the Cancer Ingress. And administrative Saturn is retrograde
in the tenth house of government.

ANYTHING
GOES

When
it comes to dreamtime Neptune, people believe what they want to believe.
Trump encapsulated this with his memorable – and highly revealing
- quote, “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot
somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters.” For his opposition,
it is in the high hopes of his imminent impeachment or impending resignation.

The one clear phenomena - is the confusion. However, there are ways to
demystify this whole Neptune cloud. They involve another repeating conjunction.
The transit of Neptune arriving precisely at the USA's Secondary Progressed
Sun (Sibly chart).

The
conjunctions - that began April 30 last year - can hardly be coincidental
considering the events. These are the times its happened and the times
it will happen again.

NEPTUNE
TO USA SP SUN CONJUNCTION DATES

APRIL
30 2016
- On April 26, Super Tuesday, Trump wins all five states in the Republican
Primaries. April 27 Jared Kushner meets with Russian ambassador to the
U.S. Sergey Kislyak. On May 3 Ted Cruz withdraws his nomination and John
Kasich follows on May 4, leaving Donald Trump the presumptive Republican
nominee.

JULY
17 2016
– On July 16 Trump announces Mike Pence as his running mate. Trump
is declared the Republican nominee by Jeff Sessions at 17.57 hours July
19 and officially accepts at 22.19 hours on July 21. The following morning,
at 7.52 am July 22 2016 Wikileaks releases 19,252 emails hacked from the
Democrats.

MARCH
20 2017
– On March 20 2017 the Congressional House Committee investigating
Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, questions the
FBI Director James Comey, on alleged wiretapping of Trump Tower during
the campaign. This follows explosive tweets by Donald Trump on March 4
- “Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped"
in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!”
Comey answers that he “has no information that supports those tweets
and we have looked carefully inside the FBI.”

SEPTEMBER
6 2017
– Coming soon! This is the next time Neptune reaches exactness to
the USA's progressed Sun. Notably the US Attorney General, Jeff Sessions
has his own progressed Sun extremely close to the USA's SP Sun and he
may be an important player in this forthcoming development. Connecting
the dots will be crucial around this time.

FEBRUARY
15-17 2018
– It all hits the fan. I anticipate major drama around the leadership
and that includes family connections such as Jared Kushner and Donald
Jnr. Some of this will be a follow on from developments from early December.
Feb 15 2018 will also coincide with a Solar Eclipse in opposition to the
upcoming August 21 2016 eclipse and will be opposing Trump's Mars.

OCTOBER
22 2018
– Leading into the US mid-term elections and obviously a long way
into the future. But somehow the events that have characterised the previous
dates will factor into the election result. As with Neptune there can
also be a pre election 'red herring' designed to hoodwink the unsuspecting.

JANUARY
08 2019
– The final transit of Neptune across the US Sibly Secondary Progressed
Sun. It is followed, within the week, by a square from Jupiter –
the eternal optimist. The one thing that we can assume from all of this
is that the days of chaos and confusion are finally coming to an end.

That's
my big picture from the national perspective. I'll be going into more
detail in coming weeks.

THE
PLUTO FACTOR

One
swallow doesn't make a spring. Neptune, the gaslighting planet ticks all
the boxes when it comes to the Trump lack of transparency and the diversionary
Twitter spin. But there's also another very important planet involved
and it's power player Pluto.

The
last aspect of the USA's progressed Sun to Pluto was the conjunction of
April 1973. That month Richard Nixon fired White House Counsel John Dean
and the Attorney General Richard Kleindienst resigned. Nixon would eventually
be forced to do the same.

The
first aspect that the Secondary Progressed Sun has made to Pluto since
that time, is the semisquare of May 2017. That's the month the US President
sacked the head of the FBI.

JULY
16

TRUMP
AND THE ECLIPSE PATTERN

The
Solar Eclipse of August 21 at 28Leo53 falls across the Ascendant of Donald
Trump's horoscope. This point, where the ecliptic crosses the horizon
at his birth time, portrays his self-image.

It's
both how he sees the world and how others view him. And it's popularly
known as the relationship axis. We can expect profound changes in Trump's
relationships, connecting back 19 years.

Eclipses
are a product of the soli-lunar cycle, repeating every 19 years. When
examining how an eclipse might effect, it's crucial to backtrack. This
August 21 eclipse at 28Leo52 was preceded by one at 28Leo48 on August
22 1998 and again at 29Leo01 on August 22 1979.

HEART
OF STONE

In
1979 Donald Trump was introduced to Roger Stone, who would have a fundamental
effect on his future. Stone was a leading political lobbyist in the Republican
Party. He was associated with Watergate and is uniquely proud of his involvement
to this day.

Roger
Stone's office walls are covered in images of the only US President to
resign in disgrace. He boasts one of the largest Nixon memorabilia collections
in the world. In 2007 he had a tattoo of Nixon embedded into his back.
The 'whatever it takes' backroom mover envisioned Trump as a future President.

In
1980, Stone formed a lobbying firm Black, Manafort & Stone during
the Reagan years. They became pioneers of today's Superpacs. By 1980,Trump
was a client of Stone and in the ensuing years hired Paul Manafort as
a lawyer, to handle his real estate and gambling interests.

THE
GOOD OLD BOYS

The
upcoming August 21 eclipse revives Trump's relationship with Roger Stone
and Paul Manafort. Both played a pivotal role in the presidential race.

Stone
was Trump's original campaign manager, until August 8 2015. Trump claimed
Stone was taking up too much spotlight – Stone claims he resigned.
Yet he remained close to the action, thereafter acting as Trump's media
mouthpiece.

In
late March of 2016, Trump appointed Paul Manafort as his campaign manager.
Stone's cryptic comment on that move was, 'back in the saddle!' Manafort
– a Republican insider – was recruited to secure party delegates
and prevent a challenge to Trump's nomination. Manafort resigned on August
19 2016.

Manafort's
sudden skadoodle was 'coincidentally' received the same day as Ukrainian
investigators unveiled millions of dollars payments he allegedly received
from Kiev's former Russian-backed leaders. Manafort was a senior advisor
to the Russian aligned Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych, ousted in
the 2014 revolution.

RUSSIAN
MONEY – NEW YORK BOUND

The
1998 eclipse correlates with the collapse of the Russian economy. Russia
defaulted on over $40 billion dollars of national debt and devalued the
ruble on August 17 1998 – five days before the eclipse. Moscow money
deserted for greener pastures. New York real estate was a safe alternative.

The
demolition for the beginning of Trump World Tower, began in October 1998.
For its time it was the tallest residential building in the world. It
attracted oligarchs from Russia and the Ukraine. They were a godsend for
Trump, then heavily leveraged to German banks.

Vladimir
Putin, destined to become the most influential politician of the 21st
century, was about to come to power. Elevated at the 1999 Grand Cross
eclipse in imperial Leo, sworn in as all the visible planets moved through
enduring Taurus in the month of the pivotal Jupiter/Saturn conjunction,
and reclaiming Crimea preceding the Cardinal Grand Cross of 2014.

PUT
IT THERE PAL

By
2013, Trump's Miss Universe show was headed to Moscow. Four days after
his birthday with expansive Jupiter transiting over his birth Sun, Trump
took to Twitter, “Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe
Pageant in November in Moscow - if so, will he become my new best friend?”

But
possibly the real 'best friend' was the Trump of Moscow, developer Aras
Agalarov, who paid $20 million to bring Miss Universe to Russia. After
the contest Trump tweeted. “@AgalarovAras I had a great weekend
with you and your family. You have done a FANTASTIC job. TRUMP TOWER-MOSCOW
is next. EMIN was WOW!
3:39 AM UT - 12 Nov 2013”

Those
plans were scuttled around the 2014 Cardinal Grand Cross, which reset
world politics. The USA had backed a revolution in the Ukraine, Russia
had reclaimed Crimea and Cold War politics were back in vogue. It all
happened with game changing Pluto in precise opposition to the USA's leadership
Sun.

Come
the 2016 US election and it was obvious who Russia would be supporting.
Then came another planetary Grand Cross, with the New Moon of June 5 2016.
This one placed deceptive Neptune conjunct the USA's secondary progressed
Sun. It would eventually have severe repercussions for Donald Trump Jnr.

The
conjunction of subterfuge Neptune to the USA's SP Sun reached exactness
by mid July 2016. It neatly correlated with alleged Russian hacking, a
Wikileaks release damning the Democrats on July 22 and the US intelligence
services beginning to investigate Russian links to the Trump campaign.

NEPTUNE SMOKESCREEN

Trump
continually denied any collusion, contrary to the facts that all roads
led to Russia. The US Senate opened an investigation. Mike Flynn fast
became the shortest serving US National Security Advisor. Attorney-General
Jeff Sessions had a memory lapse when it came to meeting Russian officials
and recused himself from the inquiry.

A
worried President tested the waters with a claim that Trump Towers were
bugged. On March 20 2017 FBI director James Comey publicly refuted Trump's
claim, adding that the intelligence organisation had been investigating
Russian interference in the US election since July 2016. Significantly,
on March 20 Neptune had again returned exact to the minute on USA's SP
Sun.

Trump
later sacked Comey, warning he “better hope that there are no ‘tapes’
of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!” It
was a hollow threat, again testing the waters to see what Comey really
did have and to make it appear that he had something on the former FB
chief. Trump later admitted he made no recordings.

Then
followed last week's bombshell of Donald Trump Jnr, meeting with Russian
connections at 4 pm June 9 2016 in Trump Towers. Little wonder his father
was paranoid about the building being bugged.

Trump
Jnr elected to release email details before the New York Times published
them. The most damning email came through at 10.36 am June 3 2016 –
coincident with the Grand Cross of Sun, Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune. Click
here for the larger chart.

The
beauty of these revelations is that they are all timed to an astrological
pattern, inevitably involving Neptune. I have much more to write on this,
as I promised earlier, it will not go away. The eclipse is reviving the
connections of Manafort, Russian influence and the players behind the
Trump campaign. Even more important will be the Full Moon of September
5/6 2017 when the next Neptune crisis will arrive for the President. More
next week.

July
9

PUT UP YA NUKES

July 2017 began with
a Mars Pluto opposition. A duo that the perceptive cosmobiologist Reinhold
Ebertin described as, 'having a gun put to one's head'. Enter Kim Jong-Un.
In line with cosmic design the North Korean President oversaw the launching
off an intercontinental ballistic missile.

Blast off was 9.40
am on July 4 – US Independence Day - and one man's success proved
another's alarm. Next morning, with contentious Mars still opposing extremist
Pluto, the US and South Korea proved they are not immune to celestial
or terrestrial influence, with two retaliatory missile launches.

The big bang theory
might be how our world began but surely it is not how it ends. Presuming
there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, they must bear concerns
for the alpha males currently vying for global dominance. Koreans didn't
ask to be divided. Those who knew 'better' decided their fate.

THE
SEEDS OF SERVITUDE

The attitude of North
Korea has its earliest roots in the Treaty of Ganghwa Island, concluded
on February 26 1876, with Japan. The document was a one sided trade agreement,
following a military defeat of September 20 1875. Japan, who had trade
enforced on them via Admiral Perry's gunboat diplomacy of 1854, were now
enacting their own imperialist polices.

A further enforced
treaty, of November 9 1905, established Korea as a protectorate of the
Japanese Empire, before the peninsula was completely annexed in 1910.
Japan's capitulation in WWII held the promise of Korean independence.
Instead it delivered an ideological division at the 38th parallel courtesy
of the USSR and USA, and the first battle of the Cold War.

DIVIDE
AND CONQUER

From
September 8 1945, the South was governed for three years by the US military,
and then a succession of strong arm dictators. The North became subservient
to a communist family dynasty. The Korean Civil War, which began pre-dawn
on June 25 1950, claimed over four million civilian lives and never officially
ended, despite an armistice signed July 27 1953.

Today the US maintains
a military presence of over 28,000 servicemen, permanently stationed in
South Korea. The US and Republic of Korea armies regularly stage military
exercises in a public show of force.

North Korea has amassed
the world's fourth largest army, despite a population of only 25 million.
The people contribute 25% of taxation to the military and spend ten years
in the services. And since the 'Axis of Evil' speech of GWB, North Korea
have accelerated a nuclear weapons program to underpin national sovereignty.

THE
FUTURE

Kim Jong Un's July
4 ICBM launch established a new benchmark. It comes as the leadership
Sun begins to move into a conjunction with the war planet Mars. This conjunction
should be considered highly active from July 17, as the Mars moves into
square with rebel rouser Uranus, all highlighted by a Moon to Sun square.

Following that a New
Moon will unite with the combative red planet as all enter fiery Leo by
July 23. Technically they will still be in a departing square to unpredictable
Uranus. The fast moving bellicose Mars travels close to the Sun for the
Full Moon Eclipse of August 9. It hardly bodes well for a United Nations
solution.

The significance of
the ongoing Sun Mars transits is that the Sun involves leaders and Mars
the military. It's implying more aggressive leadership or even threats
to leaders, along this time frame. At a time when cooler heads may prevail,
they may be noticeable by their absence. People like Donald Trump, a Sun/Uranus
with Mars rising, look to be right in the thick of it.

The US has put military
action on the table, whilst also urging China to pressure North Korea.
Russia and China have similarly requested a cessation of provocative military
exercises before they act. The timing of this comes as the People's Republic
of China are due for their own Mars return by August 13.

All are leading into
the Solar Eclipse of August 21, prominent for the US and Donald Trump's
chart. Back in February I wrote on Trump's astromapping. His birth Mars
sets Pyongyang and his Secondary Progressed Sun also sets across North
Korea. How he handles this crisis may define his presidency.

All of this
has a 'put on your hard hat, we are in for a bumpy ride', feel about it
as global hotpsots ignite. But the bigger fish to fry is the US/China
relationship. For this column I am looking at this from an entirely new
angle. Instead of national horoscopes - the formation of the USA's Seventh
Fleet and its planetary history.

PATROLLING
THE PACIFIC

Why examine the birth
chart of the US Seventh Fleet? It's because the Seventh Fleet patrols
forty eight million square miles of critical sea lanes of the Pacific
and Indian Oceans. The Seventh Fleet is historically connected to victory
over Japan in WWII, and naval command in both the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
In the early sixties it was referred to as the 'Gulf of Tonkin Yacht Club'.

The Seventh Fleet
is the naval barometer of US supremacy in the Pacific, from its military
exercises with Japan, South Korea and the Philippines, to the colonisation
of Guam, a key military base. The Fleet was formed in Brisbane, Australia
on March 15 1943 during WWII. Back then it was colloquially known as Macarthur's
Navy, after the famous WWII General.

The formation took
place under a tight Mars/Pluto opposition, with the combative red planet
also in a productive trine to a Saturn/Uranus conjunction. The Fleet's
birth Sun lies in watery Pisces and opposing the sea-king of Neptune,
placed at an equinox point – the beginning degree of Libra. Importantly,
the chart of the Seventh Fleet has proved sensitive to historical developments.

A
CHART THAT WORKS

The Korean War erupted
just before sunrise on June 25 1950, as the Secondary Progressing Sun
of the Seventh Fleet chart directly opposed Neptune. Three months prior
a Solar Eclipse at 27 Pisces occurred close to the Seventh Fleet's birth
Sun and opposite their Neptune - at the direct midpoint of both. As an
armistice was signed in 1953, as the Secondary Progressed Mercury (signifying
treaty's and contracts), joined the Seventh Fleet's birth Sun.

The Vietnam War began
as the Secondary Progressed Sun moved into a testing square with expansive
Jupiter, indicating not only an escalation, but also the President's legal
justification for a declaration of war. The difficult square aspect describes
the dubious Gulf of Tonkin incident - overblown propaganda designed to
propel the nation into an Asian war. LBJ’s televised address even
came as the leadership Sun squared deceptive Neptune.

By 1968/69, as the
Vietnam War bogged down against a relentless foe, homeland protests grew.
It correlated with ominous Pluto opposing the Seventh Fleet's Sun. By
the time the US withdrew in 1973, SP Mercury was uncomfortably squaring
military Mars and SP Venus (peace) was doing the same to SP Mars. And
the SP Sun about to enter a semisquare with limiting and sobering Saturn.

THE
TAIWAN STRAIT CRISIS

Potential conflict
in the South China Seas loomed in 1996. The People's Republic of China
was conducting provocative missile tests close to Taiwan, all in the lead
up to that island's election. The US offered support, sending its battleships
toward Taiwan. Saturn was transiting over the Seventh Fleet's Sun and
its SP Sun was in sesquisquare to smoke and mirrors Neptune. Nothing eventuated.
But what of today and tomorrow?

Communication wires
can easily get crossed as the Seventh Fleet's Sun moves into square with
Mercury for the second half of 2017. The Fleet's progressing Mars has
just entered warlike Aries, and will soon find itself in opposition to
the sea king Neptune. Add to that the SP Sun soon to run into a testing
semisquare to peacemaker Venus and headlong toward a conjunction with
Saturn early next year.

If the Fleet's chart
continues to work efficiently, it seems that their 'authority' will be
tested in 2018, coincident with their Secondary Progressed Sun joining
Saturn. Simultaneously Saturn will move into an ongoing transiting square
to the Sun of the People's Republic of China.

At its best the ringed
planet suggests responsibility, restriction and restraint. But there may
be a few shots over the proverbial bow before that becomes a reality.
From mid July and onto the Full Moon of September 6, direct action Mars
transit through Leo is about to up the ante.

July
02

THE
GREAT ECLIPSE OF 1918

It
was bugle call at Camp Funston on March 11 1918. Private Albert Gitchell,
a company cook called in sick with a temperature of 39.5. He was the first
recorded case of what was to be become known as Spanish Flu.

By
lunchtime, 107 other soldiers had joined him at the infirmary. It was
the beginning of a pandemic that would travel around the world claiming
between 3 to 5% of the global population.

1918
was the final year of World War One. America had joined the battle. Camp
Funston was part of the large army installation known as Fort Riley, where
overseas postings were trained. They departed for New York and the UK,
before serving in France.

It
wasn't long before the virus had spread across the USA and onto the European
battlefields. Over the next year only a small remote island in the Amazon
would be free of its effects.

Wartime
censorship and a fear of public panic led to the severity of the virus
being suppressed in Allied countries. There was no hiding the facts in
neutral Spain. This media exposure led to the erroneous term - Spanish
Flu. It would claim more victims that the Great War.

From
United States perspective Spanish Flu claimed more than the entire Civil
War and decreased average life expectancy by 12 years. Unlike normal flu
the peak mortality ages were between 25 to 29 - healthy adults in the
prime of their lives.

Spanish
Flu coincided with the year that a total eclipse moved right across the
continent of the United States. It was the last one to do so prior to
August 21 2017.

THE
GREAT ECLIPSE OF 1878

The
biggest eclipse affecting the US, prior to 1918, came on July 29 1878.
This one bissected the country East/West. Its direct line swept down from
the north-western border of Washington and Montana, through Wyoming and
Colorado before heading down through Texas. It still maintained 75% visibility
in San Diego, right across to Chicago. And it was also associated with
a disease.

On
the day of the eclipse, the Memphis health board discussed setting up
a quarantine station at Presidents Island, to prevent a recurrence of
yellow fever. It was not uncommon in the south. The mosquito born disease
had been carried across the seas from Africa, on the slave ships. A mild
winter followed by a hot summer provided the ideal conditions for its
return.

On
August 13 1878, the lunar eclipse following, the Chicago Tribune reported
restaurant owner Kate Biondi as the first fatality of what became known
as Memphis Yellow Fever. A week later in Memphis the number had grown
to fifty-six and people began to vacate the city.

The
source? Two days after the July 29 solar eclipse, a steamboat worker name
of William Warren, had slipped into Biondi's restaurant. He was a carrier,
was quarantined on President's Island and also died.

Memphis
Yellow Fever spread onto New Orleans, and as far north as New York and
Philadelphia. It was contained by natural means - the October winter frosts
culling the mosquitos. But not before it had claimed 20,000 lives.

The
eclipses of 1878 and 1918 coincided with health crises. But individual
eclipses must also be interpreted from the angular formations, or aspects,
they make to the other planets of the solar system. And both are quite
different to the Great American Eclipse of 2017.

ANALYZING
THE ASPECTS

The
1878 Solar Eclipse both opposed Jupiter and squared Neptune. The latter
is often connected to health scares, particularly where the cause is unseen
and unknown. Just as the oceans cover the earth, so too does Neptune the
king of the seas disperse. Jupiter has a further tendency to inflate and
expand.

This
limitless combination can represent anything from religious hysteria to
great hoaxes - or, it seems, something going viral. The following Lunar
Eclipse of August 1878 was squaring Pluto and delivering the promise of
its solar brother.

The
1918 June 8 Solar Eclipse occurred in conjunction with expansive Jupiter
and square to Mars, a planet that is associated with infections and the
military. This eclipse in the 18th degree of Gemini, fell close to the
USA's July 4 1776 birth Mars. In fact the Jupiter of the eclipse was right
on the US Mars.

The
1918 Solar Eclipse was followed by a Lunar Eclipse a fortnight later that
brought the Sun into conjunction with lethal Pluto, with the Moon opposite.
The eclipse coincided with the beginning of a Saturn/Neptune cycle, associated
with the breakdown of structures, lack of faith in authority and pandemics.

The
1918 eclipse was also the Saturn return of the years 1889/1890. During
that period a flu pandemic had spread globally, claiming over a million
lives. So its clear, at least from the astrological evidence, that the
1918 eclipse season held a very malefic potential to begin with.

2017
AUGUST 21 ECLIPSE

So
what of 2017? This eclipse falls close to the Royal Star of Regulus. In
the past it has brought changes to the British royals, always within the
year. And it is obviously set to affect the horoscope of US President
Donald Trump, connecting to his relationship orientated Ascendant and
close to his rumbustious Mars. More on that next week.

I
don't think the 2017 solar eclipse will play out the same way as those
of 1878 or 1918. Health can still be an issue. But is this more connected
to the Republican's new healthcare proposals and how they may impact directly
upon the population. Virus has a whole new meaning in 2017.

It's
connected to cyber-warfare. And those viruses engineered by state entities
have a mysterious way of turning up in places originally unintended. Like
Stuxnet – they can return to infiltrate and contaminate the Internet.
And infiltration has been increasingly in American headlines with the
probe into Russian cyber meddling.

Will the Great American eclipse bring cyber warfare further into the headlines?
Time will tell. More on the 2017 eclipse next week.

QATAR

I
did promise to mention the stand-off between Qatar and Saudi Arabia and
the Gulf States this week. From the astrological angle, challenges for
Qatar are connected to its initial independence from the UK, which happened
directly at midnight leading into September 1 1971.

The
Qatar independence horoscope is blessed with a Sun/Venus conjunction in
the fourth house of home and Qatar has the richest GDP per-capita in the
world. Unlike big brother Saudi Arabia, Qatar's population is a mixture
of Indians, Pakistanis and foreign nationals, with the country dependent
upon workers from abroad.

Qatar
also hosts the Arab news network Al-Jazeera and its western outlets. It's
this divergent voice on Arab issues that worries the authoritarian monarchies
and dictatorships of the Middle East.

Qatar
offerred a voice to Arab resistance movements, such as the Muslim Brotherhood,
and was supportive of elements of the Arab Spring. Qatar's middle ground
relationship with Iran was another thorn for Iranian enemies such as Saudi
Arabia.

But
the real trouble began on the evening of May 24 when a news report claimed
the Qatar leadership was critical of Donald Trump, praiseworthy of Iran
and willing to work with Israel. Qatar claimed this was a false media
report and that their news service had been hacked.

The
May 24 date means that this event is running square to the August 21 eclipse.
Any event occurring three months before an eclipse (and therefore squaring
the eclipse degree) is significant and usually ties into events culminating
around the eclipse. Qatar were further accused by the Gulf States of sponsoring
terrorism. Pot calling kettle black stuff.

Qatar's
September 1 1971 independence horoscope is now semi-squaring itself by
solar arc. The semisquare is exact from mid-July through to mid-August.
It's the country's 'independence' that is under the hammer here and it's
leading to something bigger. And again it seems to feed into the upcoming
August eclipse timing.

June
25

It's
only been a few short weeks but a lot of water has passed under the bridge
since I last updated my weekly commentary. Back then, the Manchester bombing
had just occurred. It has been followed by a succession of catastrophes
including the London Bridge terrorist attack, a disastrous election for
the government, the Grenfell Tower Fire and a revenge terrorist attack
near Finsbury mosque.

The
timeline of these events covered May 22 to June 19. The national horoscope
currently in use for Great Britain is that timed for midnight commencing
New Years Day 1801. It represents the legislative union of Great Britain
and Ireland.

And
it's extremely active, as one might expect with ongoing Brexit saga, along
with this succession of events. And perhaps slightly ironic that Theresa
May has only retained power with support from an Irish party.

THE
MARS CONNECTION

Fires
and acts of violence have their astrological connection with Mars, the
planet of war, tempests and impulsive aggression. Since the Brexit vote,
the progressing Sun of the January 1 1801 British chart has been squaring
its Mars.

As
that square dissipates, the solar arcing Midheaven is moving into square
with Mars. The natal placement of Mars lies in the 8th house of the British
chart. It's an area that represents international trade and investment.
All that is undergoing deep change.

From
the time the progressing Sun moved into the more challenging square to
incendiary Mars, the public went cold on the EU and life hasn't been quite
the same since. The 8th also represents death and regeneration.

The
Midheaven squaring Mars spells ongoing trouble for the administration.
It's something to be expected after Theresa May's ill timed election call.
If the Midheaven squares Mars then it follows that the IC, or home base,
of the chart must do likewise.

What
we usually get from this is social agitation and opposition to established
authority. Mars represents the anger and frustration also emanating from
the public. It also correlates with an opposition that prove more antagonistic
then usual.

These
progressions and solar arcs are not the only Mars connection. Using an
oft neglected but powerful technique of parallels, the declination of
transiting Mars has been moving across the UK Midheaven since May 10.
It remains there with the Sun also joining in at the Midheaven by declination
on June 11, closely following the election. The two are not moving off
until well into July.

PLUTO
OPPOSING THE MOON

The
declinations and progressions are supported by the transit of purgative
Pluto in opposition to the Moon of the 1801 British horoscope. The Moon
symbolises the public 'mood'. In the 1801 chart the Moon is positioned
in the patriotic Cancer Midheaven, which is also rules. This is the most
important outer transit affecting the chart.

The
transiting Pluto opposition intensifies the emotional response of the
Moon. Although the public have been deeply moved by the gravity of these
recent events – Pluto also represents death and the underworld –
they have reacted powerfully to the challenge.

The
people have shown enormous emotional strength, cohesion and connection
in their collective response to the terrorist attacks for example. At
the same time they would feel that life is irrevocably changing. Pluto
brings the problems out of the shadows.

The
Moon also rules the home and housing. The opposition aspect is bringing
hidden issues to the surface, which have become evident in a very Plutonian
manner, through death and destruction. Pluto is rebuilding on the ruins
of the old.

As
the Moon is placed in the governmental tenth, the transit of regenerative
Pluto also affects heads of state. It is changing the status quo. Currently
Pluto is in retro motion and moving off the opposition but will be exact
by January 2018. It's an ongoing process. Click
here for the biwheel.

THAT
SAUDI TRIP

My last column concentrated on the shadowy relationship between the USA
and Saudi Arabia. It was written in the wake of Donald Trump making the
gulf monarchy his first overseas port of call the gulf monarchy. That
speaks loudly re his administration's priorities.

The
US President Donald Trump bowed to accept a gold medal, the country's
highest civilian honour, presented by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz.
All of this ran counter to the carefully cultivated political image Trump
had previously projected.

On
July 30 2012 Trump tweeted, “Barack Obama bowed to the Saudi king
in public yet the Dems are questioning Mitt Romney's diplomatic skills”.

But
now, as President and boasting about increased Saudi investment and a
$110 billion weapons deal creating 'jobs, jobs, jobs!' there was no hint
of criticism. Saudi Arabia and the gulf monarchies had become priority
number one.

Trump's
about face on Saudi Arabia coincided with the USA's latest Mars return.
It also links neatly back to the previous US Mars return that timed the
launch of the Trump campaign.

Two
days prior to that launch he had Tweeted, “Saudi Arabia and many
of the countries that gave money to the Clinton Foundation want women
as slaves and to kill gays. Hillary must return all money from such countries.”

My
point is not to expose the shameless hypocrisy. That should be blindingly
obvious. Trump is but one in a long line. It is an unstated policy of
the west to support compliant Kings, Shahs or military dictators, whilst
preaching greater democracy for any Middle East countries that are not
doing their bidding. The blowback has been terrorism, all of which feeds
into increased arms deals.TIMING THE GIVEAWAY TWEETS

Sometimes
it pays to erect horoscopes for the Tweets that accompany such events.
The planetary positioning and angles usually clearly show the real motives.
The Tweet of Saudi King Salman, posted at 10.23 UT on May 20 2017 is below.
The matching horoscope says it all.

You
be the judge. This all occurred with the Midheaven of the Royal Riyadh
Tweet conjunct the USA's Mars. It occurred immediately prior to the USA's
Mars return. It came as Trump did a total about face on a history of criticism
about Saudi Arabia.

Doesn't
this multiple Mars connection reveal is it purely about weapons, military
and war. And the agreement has already fractured the gulf alliances with
the Saudis demands on Qatar. More about Qatar next column

May
28

THE
SAUD IS MIGHTIER THAN THE PEN

When
the US President Donald Trump did his symbolic sword dance with the Saudi
royals last week, it was all about oil and war. Fittingly the new Secretary
of State, Rex Tillerson, a former CEO of Exxon was part of the action.
And, after the ceremony, a new $110 billion weaponry purchase for Saudi
Arabia became a done deal.

What
was notable was that the first country the President chose to visit since
assuming office was Saudi Arabia. This symbiotic relationship, between
countries whose political philosophy could hardly be more different, finds
a common value in dominance and power.

The
Gulf monarchies are the anathema of democracy. Power is shared among a
small coterie of oil rich sheiks. And while the barbaric beheadings of
ISIL are roundly condemned, in Saudi Arabia they are a common practice
and public spectacle. In the gulf monarchy of Bahrain, where the almighty
US 5th fleet docks to patrol the Persian Gulf, the same Prime Minister
has been in office since 1971.

So
as Trump addressed the royalty of Rhidyah and beyond in stamping out terrorism,
the words would hardly match the actions. The same gulf monarchies have
armed mercenary rebel groups, some of which have migrated to ISIL. And
it is this duplicitous diplomacy that has also brought terrorism increasingly
into the cities of the western world.

Immediately
following, at around 10.30 pm Monday May 22, the Manchester terrorist
bombing took place. Twenty two lives were lost with another one hundred
and sixteen injured. There is no connection here bar the timing and the
curious relationship that western nations have with nations whose core
beliefs are far removed from their own. This week's column draws on a
previous one, which explored the connection between the USA and Saudi
Arabia.

OIL
AND WAR

The
US/Saudi oil and war alliance was built in the final year of WWII. On
February 24 1945, US President, Franklin Roosevelt, invited the Arabian
King Ibn Saud aboard the U.S.S. Quincy in the Suez Canal. The US was at
war in the Pacific and war required lots of oil. It still does. And the
world's largest oil fields are in Saudi Arabia.

May
29 2017 represents 84 years since the formation of what grew into the
world's largest oil company - Saudi Aramco. Eighty four years also marks
the Uranus return of this energy behemoth and Uranus is known for a sudden
change to the set up. The return period has just begun and will continue
through to February of 2018.

The
big change is the partial privatisation of Saudi Aramco, partially separating
the oil enterprise from the state. Saudi budgets have been running in
the red for years and they are looking to diversify their economy via
other energy sources and biotechnology. That's what has also brought the
Saudi/Qatar gas pipeline into competition with the Iran/Syrian project
and propelled the Syrian civil war largely funded by the gulf monarchies.
But back to the US-Saudi marriage.

MARRIED
FOR THE MONEY

The
Saudis have provided the lifeblood to the US military and the US provided
riches and security to a royal family. In the 1970's when Nixon took the
US off the gold standard, it was the Saudis promise to trade oil solely
for US dollars that created the petrodollar and strengthened the US greenback
as the global currency. It was a marriage of convenience, which was to
survive immense ideological differences. And encounter many political
challenges.

When
you compare the horoscopes of the two nations, Saudi Arabia dates back
to January 15 1902 and the US to July 4 1776, the Saudi's expansive Sun/Jupiter
combination falls right on the USA's money planet of Pluto, in their second
house of resources. Without Saudi co-operation the US would not be able
to wield so much power, not only in the Middle East, but globally.

Back
in 1956 a Pan-Arab movement was powered by Egyptian President Abdul Nasser.
Nasser wanted to utilise Saudi oil and that's when Saudi Prince Faisal
was invited to Washington to meet with President Dwight Eisenhower. These
were Cold War days and Eisenhower did not want Arab autonomy disrupting
the status quo. On February 9 1957 a military alliance was formally signed.

The
Saudis would suspend aid to Egypt and the Pan-Arab movement. The US would
provide military equipment and training for the royal army. For the day
of the meeting Saturn was in the 12th degree of Sagittarius and right
at the Ascendant of the USA's July 4 1776, 17.10 hours, Sibly birthchart.
Spooky! Well planets tend to be reliable timers of such events. But it's
not the only occasion that around 12 degrees of Sagittarius has been a
game changer in US/Saudi relations.

THE
FIRST SATURN RETURN

The
Saturn return of the original Eisenhower/Faisal contract occurred in 1986
- a catastrophic year for oil in America. The Saudis opened the spigots,
triggering a price war and plunging the price of crude to just under $11
a barrel. It put many US firms out of business. The industry laid off
100,000 workers and the price collapse forced the US back to importing
oil.

The
second Saturn return produced a similar scenario. Saturn came back to
12 degrees of Sagittarius from January 2016. Brent crude was selling at
under $29 a barrel - down from the June 2014 high of $115. The Saturn
position isn't just useful for tracking oil fluctuations. On September
11 2001 Pluto moved across 12 degrees of Sagittarius with Saturn opposing
it. That's when all hell broke loose and the Saudi US relationship propelled
global terrorism. The many headed hydra emerged that clear New York morning.
But it had a precedent.

THE
SATURN OPPOSITION

On
August 27 2001, Saturn was opposing its position of the Eisenhower/Saudi
agreement. The Saudi Ambassador to the US told George W Bush, "the Crown
Prince will not communicate in any form, type or shape with you, and Saudi
Arabia will take all its political, economic and security decisions based
on how it sees its own interest in the region without taking into account
American interests anymore because it is obvious that the United States
has taken a strategic decision adopting (Israeli President) Sharon's policy."

This
came a month after both the US and Israel had walked out of the United
Nations meeting on Racism after the Israel Palestine issue was brought
up and labelled apartheid policy. President Bush went into immediate damage
control following the Saudi communique. He tabled an official reply in
the form of a two-page letter to Prince Abdullah.

Bush
wrote, "Let me make one thing clear up front: nothing should ever break
the relationship between us. There has been no change in the strategic
equation. I firmly believe the Palestinian people have a right to self-determination
and to live peacefully and securely in their own state, in their own homeland,
just as the Israelis have the right to live peacefully and safely in their
own state."

Bush
had gone further than any other President in actually suggesting a homeland
for the Palestinians. But before the differences could be resolved, with
Pluto moving across the Saturn of the US/Saudi Military Agreement chart
and the USA's Ascendant, 911 happened. That 12 degrees of Sagittarius
proved a fateful degree.

THE
GAME CHANGER

When
15 of 19 hijackers, carrying out the 911 attacks, were of Saudi Arabian
nationality, questions had to be asked. They were never appropriately
addressed. George W ensured that the full details of the 911 investigations
were kept under the covers. Even President Obama vetoed a bill allowing
families of 911 victims to sue Saudi Arabia. Obama felt this would also
open the USA to charges for their own military interventions. The relationship
had come to haunt.

Today
the Secondary Progressed Sun of the USA has reached the 12th degree of
Pisces. It is in square to the fateful 12 degree Sagittarius position.
It makes this an important time for a shift in the relationship between
the two nations. As mentioned earlier the privatisation of Saudi Aramco
is a starting point. But as long as the gulf monarchies are supported
in their suppression of human rights and enriched by western capital and
weapons, talk of eradicating global terrorism will remain the empty rhetoric
that is has become.

May
21

THE
PLUTO RETURN OF THE USA

The
year 1776 is best remembered for the Declaration of Independence giving
birth to the USA. The Declaration was written, signed and proclaimed by
the forefathers of the new nation. Most of whom were wealthy businessmen.
Since then United States has progressed to become the wealthiest nation
of all and the home of modern capitalism.

Something
else happened in 1776, but not on July 4. On March 9 a work appeared that
would influence financial thinking for centuries after - Adam Smith's
classic 'Wealth Of Nations'. Smith was a Scottish philosopher and economist.
His magnum opus, appeared at the start of the Industrial Revolution. Thomas
Jefferson considered it the best book on economics ever written.

The
book traces history from the Fall of Rome to the feudal societies to the
mercantile age. Smith argued successfully that wealth was not created
by hoarding precious metals, but rather through increasing production
and expanding trade. His ideas made gross domestic product, a measure
of a country's productive output, part of the fiscal vernacular. Smith
also contended that an economy and markets were naturally self-regulating.

At
the birth of the 'Wealth of Nations' and the 'Declaration of Independence'
Pluto was positioned in the 28th degree of Capricorn. Pluto is the ancient
Roman wealth ruler. In the earliest horoscope of the USA, timed for 17.10
hours July 4 1776, Pluto falls in the second house of assets and earning
capacity. It also semisquares their ambitions Sagittarian Ascendant, tying
it into the national narrative. The US will project their wealth internationally.

Wealth
also equates to power – especially where Pluto is involved - and
in today’s world the US dollar has a global hegemony. Whenever that
power has been threatened – by Muammar Gaddafi wanting to create
the 'dinar' a new currency for African trade – or Saddam Hussein
refusing to trade Iraqi oil in US dollars – regime change follows.

So
when I am asked what do I think will happen when the US has its Pluto
return, I think not only in terms of a nation transforming itself, but
also factor in changes to capitalism via this Pluto connection to Smith's
seminal work. If you research deeper, to when Pluto formed hard aspects,
such as squares or oppositions to the 27-28 Capricorn the reasoning becomes
even clearer.

DECIPHERING
THE PLUTO PATTERNS

Pluto's
first square came at 28 Aries in 1848. It was a tumultuous year bringing
revolutions throughout Europe, affecting fifty countries from Sicily,
through Germany, Italy, and the Austrian Empire. It even forced the French
King Louis Philippe I, into exile and ushered in the Second Republic.
There was also brutal repression of these multiple uprisings but they
were the prelude for a more democratic society and the eventual fall of
many European monarchies.

Karl
Marx's 'Communist Manifesto' was released in London on February 21 1848.
It was another book that would influence economic and social thinking
in a powerful but different way. Although the revolutions were not directly
caused by the book, it was a reflection of the time, and just as revolutionary
as 1776. Unions and organised labor movements would evolve from this.
Curiously it also represented gold rushes in the USA and Australia.

KEYNESIAN
ECONOMICS

The
opposition point of Pluto occurred in 1936/37 as the world geared for
a war that would again throw Europe into turmoil. It was a war that would
change the balance of power, not only in the western world, bit also Russia,
Japan, China and precede the breakup of the British Empire. What came
out of this was a polarity of capitalism and communism, a divided Europe
and Asia, and Cold War – a face-off between the ideas of Smith and
Marx.

Indeed
it was in February of 1936 that a book was released that challenged classical
economic theory. It was “The General Theory of Employment, Interest
and Money”, written by the English economist John Maynard Keynes.
It is the work that is the acknowledged source of the terminology of modern
macroeconomics. So confident was Keynes of his work that he wrote to his
good friend, George Bernard Shaw.

"I
believe myself to be writing a book on economic theory which will largely
revolutionize—not I suppose, at once but in the course of the next
ten years—the way the world thinks about its economic problems.
I can't expect you, or anyone else, to believe this at the present stage.
But for myself I don't merely hope what I say,--in my own mind, I'm quite
sure."

Keynes
work was well received during the Great Depression – the US slipped
back into recession in 1937 with the Dow losing around 50%. These years
also represented government intervention into the economy with Roosevelt’s
New Deal legislations. After the war years the western economies were
reformed following the Bretton Woods agreement and the formation of the
World Bank and associated International Monetary Federation.

The
last square of Pluto to itself came in the years 1982/83 at 28 of Libra.
These were important years in laissez-faire economics, privatisation and
deregulation, often referred to as Reaganomics and Thatcherism. It heralded
a period of selling off of national assets and essential services. These
were also the years of the 'yuppie', obsessed with material success. The
devolution of the Soviet states started with their first independent trade
union 'Solidarity'. In 1983, the Polish leader of that movement, Lech
Walesa, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Each
time that Pluto heads into a hard aspect with the 1776 position of 28
Capricorn there are new revolutions, political unrest and a change in
economic values and philosophy. It's as if the ideas prevalent at the
turning points are useful, until the crunch comes at the next evolutionary
point. This pattern should continue at the Pluto return. We are not simply
looking at a Pluto return for the USA, but a total transformation of the
global economy. And the unrest we are currently witnessing in the developed
economies, is a sure sign of that inevitability.

May
14

YOU'RE
FIRED

On
Tuesday afternoon May 9 2017, reality TV hit the White House. Donald Trump
sacked James Comey. The President claimed Comey wasn't doing his job all
that well and the FBI were in chaos. It was a claim the FBI quickly refuted,
adding that Comey was extremely well thought of by the organisation and
his colleagues within.

For
Trump, always anxious to appear before the press when he needs them, it
was yet another justification of an autocratic act by an impetuous man.
Sacking the man who'd virtually leapfrogged him into the White House was
nothing new. Trump's allegiances are purely to himself and family, something
that even to his most gullible followers must be blindingly obvious.

His chief strategist, Steve Bannon, found that one out. Trump not only
removed Bannon from a top security role. He also claimed to hardly have
known Bannon prior to July last year. That claim, like so many others,
was a barefaced lie. The kind Trump is becoming globally famous for. So
what is happening in his horoscope that elicits such a removal from reality?

MARS
AND URANUS - ERRATIC IMPULSIVENESS

Well
for one, the planet of impulse and agitation, Mars is moving through Trump's
career focussed tenth house. It's moving closer to erratic Uranus and
will be getting right there this week. Expect the fireworks to continue
from Monday May 15. The pattern will continue right through the next fortnight,
with Mars due to join Trump's SP Sun around May 23 and 24. His progressed
Uranus is already conjunct his birth sun.

Trump
will soon begin to learn that what goes around comes around. Transiting
Uranus is also opposing his Secondary Progressed Ascendant. He'll find
some of his own allies dropping off fast too. In fact carrying out his
'Art Of The Deal' will become increasingly difficult. Over the past week
Mercury and Uranus have been together in opposition to Trump's SP Ascendant.
It's one reason why allegiances are suddenly shifting.

The
sacking of an FBI chief by a US President is a test of Trump's power.
The timing of it is perfect for what's coming up by August this year.
It's then that a total Solar Eclipse, which blacks out mainland USA, will
do the same to Trump's Ascendant. It's one of the many difficult transits
he faces from the July/August period. That's when the man who thought
that being the President of the USA wasn't as hard as running a real estate
business will experience the ultimate wake up call.

ECLIPSE PRE-WARNING

Usually
eclipses show their hand three months prior to the event. In Trump's case,
that makes May the month to watch. Comey, for his part was just doing
his job. He is a patriot who inadvertently gave Trump the inside running
for the White House. Comey's confession, that his act of possibly swinging
an election made him nauseous, signalled his immediate demise. Trump would
have none of that. He sacked Comey.

Then the Trump PR team went into damage control. They got the White House
to say that it was an action taken on the advice of his administration.
They organised his television interview. Trump then contradicted that
statement claiming he'd always wanted Comey gone. Trump branded Comey
a grandstander. But the truth with Trump is always in the timing. Comey's
honesty couldn't be tolerated.

The
waning international influence of Trump was witnessed with the recent
French election. His endorsement of Marine Le pen, proved the ultimate
kiss of death. I thought as much and wrote about it in my election summary.
I considered Trump her greatest liability. He is fast becoming the same
for his homeland.

May
7

There
is no more awe-inspiring event in nature than the majesty of a total solar
eclipse. In those brief enchanting minutes, the natural becomes the supernatural.
Day shifts to night, the temperature dramatically drops and stars magically
glow in a rapidly darkened sky. The ancients marvelled at this miracle
of the Sun being swallowed in the heavens. Its mystery and appeal are
timeless.

Some
are calling 2017 the year of the great American eclipse. On August 21
at 18.30 UT (Universal Time), a total solar eclipse will move right across
the US, from west to east. It will attract as much publicity as the great
eclipse of August 1999, which it is related to. Earlier in the year, on
February 26 at 14.58 UT, an annular solar eclipse, when the Moon moves
across the Sun yet the rim of the solar disk is still visible, will cross
the southern tips of South America and move into central Africa.

Historically,
the recording of eclipses is a cross-cultural phenomenon. They were feared
not only by the ordinary people but by kings nd emperors too. The triple
alignment of the two celestial lights, the Sun and Moon, with the plane
of the earth was deemed a harbinger of potent change. In Babylon, the
stargazing capital of the arcane world, a commoner was appointed king
prior to an eclipse. But the honour was short lived, with both the individual
and his title sacrificed to appease the celestial gods and protect the
king.

Astrologers
who failed to predict an eclipse could expect a similar fate. Such is
recorded in the annals of Chinese astronomers, who kept meticulous records
dating back to 2400BCE. The Sun represented the emperor and the earliest
Chinese word for an eclipse was shih, meaning to eat or consume. The Sun
being devoured by Rahu, the famed dragon’s head of Hindu mythology,
or the Sun Dogs of Viking and Korean legends, are part of cultural eclipse
traditions.

A
change to the order

Eclipses upset the natural order. They interrupt the regularity of the
two most important hands on the celestial clock. In earlier times, the
Sun and Moon determined the annual calendar of hunting and harvest, both
of which were essential for early survival. This disturbance to the cycle
was, not surprisingly, interpreted as a heavenly sign of change or displeasure.
Any change to the established order was the last thing a power-obsessed
ruler would want. More recently, in Australia, folklore became fact with
eclipses literally eclipsing leaders.

Eclipses
have long been known to change the political order.

England’s
foremost royal historian, William of Malmesbury, wrote on the death of
Henry I: “The elements manifested their sorrow at this great man’s
departure from England. For the Sun on that day at the sixth hour shrouded
his glorious face, in hideous darkness, agitating the hearts of men by
an eclipse; and on the sixth day of the week early in the morning there
was so great an earthquake that the ground appeared absolutely to sink
down.” The legendary eclipse of Henry’s passing plunged England
into a civil war of 19 years, equating to one full eclipse cycle.

Eclipses and royalty

To
the ancients, eclipse visibility was considered a vital factor in its
power. This is evident in RC Thompson’s translations of The Reports
of the Magicians and Astrologers of Nineveh and Babylon, written on tablets
which are stored in the British Museum. He writes, “The great gods
wherein the king dwells have obscured the heavens and will not show the
eclipse; so let the king know that this eclipse is not directed against
the king, my lord or his country. Let the king rejoice.”

Some eclipses were actually beneficial. Thompson writes of an eclipse
occurring with Jupiter, which would grant the king great honour and further
exalt his status.

Astrologically,
Jupiter is recognised as the royal planet of good fortune. The kingmaker
planet Jupiter helped the British astrologer Charles Harvey successfully
predict the birth time of Prince William for around 9pm on June 21, 1982.
William was born at 9.03pm, as Jupiter reached the top of the skies on
the day of a solar eclipse.

The Columbus eclipse

Eclipses have also coincided with saving lives. Christopher Columbus,
credited with opening the gateway of trade to the New World of the Americas,
owes his life to one. It happened when Columbus was forced to beach his
ships in Jamaica in February 1504. As he and his crew awaited rescue,
they lived off the generosity and food supply of the indigenous people.

In 2017, scientists, eclipse hunters and amateur astronomers will, like
Columbus, head for the Americas. Location is essential for viewing the
totality of a solar eclipse, which occurs in a relatively narrow path
or band approximately 100 kilometres wide. Cities such as Idaho Falls,
Lincoln, Nashville, Columbia and Charleston will all experience eclipse
totality on August 21, 2017, with Kansas City and St Louis at the edge.

The August 21, 2017, solar eclipse is associated with Saros series number
145. This extremely important family of eclipses started in 1639, but
this family didn’t produce a total eclipse until 1927. Since then,
each one has been associated with breakthroughs in aeronautics, television
and satellite communications and the political division known as the Cold
War.

Saros series 145 accompanied some of the biggest news stories of the 20th
century. Expect it to do so again in 2017.

It
last appeared on August 11, 1999, producing a frenzy of eclipse watchers
from the UK, right across Europe, the Middle East and into India. The
1999 Saros series 145 eclipse was widely regarded as being the one that
Nostradamus was referring to when he wrote the controversial quatrain
72 in Century 10 of The Prophecies:

“The
year 1999 and seven month,
From the sky will come a great King of Terror:
To bring back to life the great King of Angolmois (the Mongols),
Before after Mars to reign by good fortune”

Earlier
in 1999, NATO’s aerial bombardment of Serbia had brought war to
Europe for the first time since WWII. But perhaps it was a little-known
event two days prior to the eclipse that holds more importance for today.
Vladimir Putin was appointed the new Prime Minister of Russia and, by
the end of that year, would be president.

Therefore
this eclipse is important to President Putin and the fragile US-Russia
relationship, especially regarding nuclear matters. The Caucus area of
Europe could also be a key one to watch for political unrest. Based on
past evidence, the August 2017 eclipse should present significant achievement
in the field of aeronautics and space flight. Also expect technological
breakthroughs affecting television and global communications.

Geographically,
the August 2017 eclipse will be the first total eclipse that moves across
the entire continent of the US since June 8, 1918. It will stress the
importance of quickly containing any contagious outbreaks, as this was
also the time that the Spanish Flu pandemic was first detected at Fort
Riley in Texas. But, with cyber warfare ever present, we must look at
a new kind of bug: the computer virus.

Last,
this eclipse occurs near the fixed star Regulus, one of the four royal
ancient stars of Persia. The fall of important leaders or statesmen must
be factored in with this star near the eclipse. For Australia, it will
oppose the Venus (vales) and Saturn (land) of our First Settlement horoscope,
and have a downward effect on mining and property values. As this is the
only total solar eclipse of the year, it holds dominance over all others.

April
30

BREAKING
THE MOULD

Emanuel
Macron is an unlikely candidate for the French presidency. He will not
turn 40 until December 21 this year, is married to a woman 24 years his
senior and heads a party barely a year old. Macron's transpartisan En
March! movement is breaking with the traditional left and right political
polarity that characterises western democracies.

Originally
a Socialist from 2006, he went independent in 2009, forming En March on
April 6 2016. The organisation was born with the Sun in a testing tight
square to Pluto, representing the plutocracy, and conjunct revolutionary
Uranus. It rode the anti-establishment wave prevalent during the Uranus
Pluto square.

These
planets lock in with the national psyche. The First French Republic birthed
at 15.30 hours on September 21 1792, under the auspices of an exact Uranus
opposition to Pluto. At the April launch of En March!, Macron promised
to totally transform the political system via a 'democratic revolution'.
He even released a book titled 'Revolution' timed to the month of his
candidacy.

CONNECTIONS
TO THE REPUBLIC CHART

Macron's
birth chart has an uncanny connection with the First Republic of France.
His Sun and Mercury, in the final degree of visionary Sagittarius, neatly
square the Virgo Sun of the Republic. It's the kind of synastry suited
to promote change (or appear to) as it locks in with probably the most
defining moment of national history.

Macron's
law and order planets of Jupiter and Saturn blend promisingly with the
same in the First Republic horoscope. His Jupiter in early Cancer is almost
in exact trine to the Republic's early Scorpio Jupiter. His Saturn at
the start if Virgo runs a positive trine to the Republic Saturn at the
beginning of Taurus. His Nodal axis falls across the Republic's Venus
– planet of popularity.

It's
these planetary connections that explain what has suddenly propelled a
man, considered by some colleagues as a political lightweight, to victory
in the first round of voting. There is also a standout pattern in his
birth horoscope that shows why he is a fast achiever. It's attached to
the successful combination of expansive Jupiter with innovative Uranus.

JUPITER
+ URANUS THE DYNAMIC DUO

Macron's
Sun/Mercury and Moon are each configured in opposition to Jupiter and
Uranus respectively. The Moon positions helps explain the age disparity
of his marriage partner. Uranus walks it own path and the Moon relates
to emotions, family and females. His Sun/Mercury to Jupiter opposition
describes his eminent father, Jean-Michel, a professor of neurology.

Macron's
wife, Brigette, born April 13 1953 @ 15.00 hours in Amiens, is an Aries
with Sun opposite Saturn. Macron has the ruling planet of Aries, Mars,
in his seventh house of marriage partner, along with Saturn. The latter
often signifies an older or senior partner. His horoscope is a good fit,
suggesting the AA rated time is on the money.

The
Sun/Mercury and Moon, both configured with Jupiter and Uranus, form an
aspect pattern known as the Hard Rectangle. Don't let the name confuse
here. When Jupiter and Uranus are involved in this planetary picture,
it usually brings enormous luck. That's why cosmobiologists call this
this dynamic duo the 'thank the lord' combo. Click
here to see this pattern in his birth chart.

So,
not only is Macron's Sun and Mercury locking in with the First French
Republic horoscope, but also his Moon, Jupiter and Uranus are aspected
to that same Republic Sun. That serendipitous sequence helps explain his
rapid rise in the political arena. He is seen as a fresh hope of systematic
change. But how real is that perception?

INEVITABLE
COMPARISONS

Comparisons
being made between Macron and Barack Obama, whilst his opponent Marine
Le Pen is likened to Donald Trump. Considering Trump elicited only 15%
of support in France at election time, whereas Obama's popularity in France
exceeded 80%, Macron is in no hurry to dispute this analogy.

There
are similarities. Le Pen plays upon the us and them fear factor and past
glories, whereas Macron looks to systematic change with an uncertain future.
Macron's globalist thinking can also be an Achilles heel as Le Pen hones
in on voter dissatisfaction and a yearning for yesteryear.

Macron
announced his run for the French presidency on November 16 2016. The Jupiter
return of this campaign launch takes place on May 14 2017, the anticipated
inauguration date of the new president. It will also be the Sun's opposition
to his campaign launch.

While
a Jupiter return is generally be a timely signal for success, bear in
mind that Jupiter will be returning in retrograde motion. It may still
deliver its promise, but with conditions attached. Judicial Jupiter also
represents legislature and there is another round of legislative elections
due on the 11th and 18th of June to elect the 577 members of the 15th
National Assembly.

HOW'S
IT ALL STACKING UP

Political
pundits predicting a Le Pen upset, point to the Brexit and Trump. Certainly
the French election will come down to popular vote, as did Brexit. The
Trump comparison belies the fact that in referendums or French elections,
where popular vote decides the winner – Trump would have finished
runner up.

Last
week I examined Marine Le Pen's promising planetary dynamics coming together
at the right time. Here's that link.
It explains how fortunate Jupiter lies stationary at her Ascendant. How
rebellious Uranus favourably trines her Venus, delivering unexpected support.
How Mercury joins it on election day. And how even a close run race would
exceed her personal best and be grounds for a future victory.

MAY
7 2017

It's a day that favours upsets as Mercury and Uranus unite in feisty Aries.
Both are semisquared by agitating Mars. The mood is one of impulse. There's
a volatile energy around the election, with potential high for anger,
danger and disputes.

Macron's
prominence has hinged on opportune Jupiter solar arcing to meet his Scorpio
Midheaven ruler Mars, active from January this year. An accommodating
trine between his secondary progressed Moon and Sun in February followed,
before the Moon trined his progressed Venus in April. All this guaranteed
a dream run.

But
the golden egg aspect of solar arc Jupiter uniting with his career ruler
Mars, is now moving away. It remains within a half degree and therefore
still imparts an effect but the influence is waning. The presidency may
soon turn to a hollow victory. Assuming Le Pen is beaten here, there will
be a bounce back in the June legislative elections. She has a very strong
chart at this time.

This
reminds me of a horse race where the young colt has opened up a sizable
break on the opposition. But coming into the straight the experienced
and battle hardy mare is closing. Can the colt can hold off the fast finishing
challenger before the line. And does her improving form make her a good
bet next start? One would think so. That's my take. Macron.

THE
CYCLES OF DIVISION

There
are two cycles reminding me of a division between the President and the
government. One is the Saturn cycle in Sagittarius. Last time it transited
this sign Frances Mitterand had to cohabit with Jacques Chirac –
meaning that the party of the President and Prime Minister were different.

Secondly
there is the Metonic Eclipse cycle which also correlated with different
parties cohabiting via the President Jacques Chirac's conservative Rally
For the Republic Party and Prime Minister Lionel Jospin's Socialists.
It may be another reason why the country is again divided.

THE
LAST TIME

The
last time I forecast a French presidential race was back in 2012, in my
World Predictions article. That was when Frances Hollande narrowly won
over Nicolas Sarozy. I utilised the same techniques as here in the last
fortnight, including the First Republic horoscope comparisons. I have
found that the synastry of long term Presidents such as Charles De Gaulle
or Jacques Chirac for example, resonate very powerfully with this original
horoscope of France.

APRIL 23

TIMING
IS EVERYTHING

The
adage that timing is everything isn’t reserved solely for comedy.
It works just as effectively for tragedy - especially on the eve of an
election. The killing of a French policeman and the wounding of two of
his colleagues happened three days prior to the first round of the first
French presidential vote. A timing that could be crucial.

The terrorist bombings on the Madrid rail network, on the 912th day after
911, swung the voters away from their US aligned Prime Minister. It handed
the 2004 election to the opposition, who opposed the Iraq war. Yet the
government was comfortably polling 5% ahead before the tragedy occurred.

The
US Republicans didn’t make the same mistake. A coincidental video
of Osama bin Laden, urging Americans not to re-elect George W Bush, surfaced
in late October 2004. It effectively demolished John Kerry’s presidential
dream. No surprise then that George W never did get around to capturing
the Al Qaeda mastermind.

James
Comey’s revelation that the FBI was considering re-opening the Clinton
email probe was another timely intervention. And most Australians remember
the ‘children overboard’ affair’, when PM John Howard,
trailing in the polls, falsely claimed asylum seekers threw their own
children into the sea. It put the navy offside but swung an election.
So how about France?

DIVIDE
AND CONQUER

A
glance at the leading French candidates indicates this is one of the most
open of all elections. Eleven candidates and four rated a chance of winning.
If the old battle maxim ‘ divide and conquer’ applies to politics,
then France is currently a very divided country.

The
date of the final run off, May 7, falls exactly between Europe Day celebrated
on May 5 and European Union Day of May 9. These dates are symbolic of
peace, integration and co-operation in Europe.

European
Union day was inspired a Frenchman, foreign minister Robert Schumann.
On May 9 1950 the Schumann deal placed French and German steel and coal
production under one higher authority. It was the original seedling of
today’s European Union.

This
strong amalgamation, with a common currency, matches the trading power
and financial clout of the USA. But some of France’s presidential
candidates are threatening to leave. One is Marine Le Pen – Donald
Trump’s choice as the strongest candidate. His endorsement could
be her biggest liability.

MARINE
LE PEN

According
to AstroDatabank, Marine Le Pen was born at 5 August 1968 at 11:20 am
(CET) August 5 1968 in Neuilly sur Seine, France. This places her career
orientated Midheaven in nationalistic Cancer. Combative Mars lies in the
final degree of this sign and she also has a flamboyantly communicative
Sun Mercury Leo conjunction posited in the ambitious tenth house.

Marine
has spent much of her life in the public spotlight, initially as the daughter
of Jean Le Pen, the founder of the far right National Front Party. Jean’s
divisive policies ensured he never became president. Her practical Capricorn
Moon compliments her tenth house focus and runs trine to a supportive
seventh house Saturn in late Aries. She has worked to soften her party's
public image.

IF
HER TIME IS RIGHT - A PROMISING CHART

The
first round of the French Presidential Election commences Sunday April
23. Providing there is no clear majority, a run-off election will take
place on May 7. Assuming Le Pen’s birth time is correct, this time
frame would place opportune Jupiter stationary and turning direct on her
Libran Ascendant by June 10.

Le
Pen will also benefit from transiting Saturn trine her natal Saturn and
Uranus joining her birth Saturn. As she has an exact Venus Saturn trine
in her birth chart, this double up indicates rapid changes around her
alliances, personal and professional support. Venus is her Ascendant ruler
and posited in her eleventh house of institutional support.

Back
in August 2016, Marine progressed into her New Moon phase, favoring fresh
enterprises that will shape her life direction for years into the future.
Her Secondary Progressed New Moon occurred conjunct radical and right
wing Uranus, emphasizing the independence of her political views, and
encouraging a more radical approach.

FIRST
FRENCH REPUBLIC CONNECTIONS

Le
Pen's New Moon with Uranus formed a triple conjunction at 29 degrees of
Virgo. This degree has an extremely powerful connection with the horoscope
of the First French Republic.

The
defining moment in the nation’s history came at 15.30 hours on September
21 1792. The Sun position of the First Republic is 29 degrees of Virgo.
Le Pen’s New Moon resonates deeply with this revolutionary energy.

It's also interesting that the man rated her main rival, odds on favourite
Emmanuel Macron, was born December 21 1977 @ 10.40 am in Amiens, France.
His Sun and Mercury - at 29 of Sagittarius - precisely square the Sun
of France's First Republic. Click here for larger image

The other radical hard left candidate, Jean-Luc Mélenchon's, Ascendant
and Saturn are conjunct the First Republic's Sun. He was born August 19
1951 @ 8 20 in Tanger, Morroco. A victory for any of these politicians,
outside the mainstream parties, would bring radical change to the established
French political system.

In
February 2017 Le Pen’s progressed Sun moved into Libra. That sign
change is crucial, coming so soon after her SP New Moon. Libra’s
dual nature may indicate a need to conciliate or power sharing arrangements
ahead.

Marine’s
SP Midheaven (Naibod in RA) is approaching her natal Jupiter, although
that is still another year off; and unfortunately regarding reliable prediction;
is entirely dependent upon the accuracy of her birth time.

The
Paris shooting comes at an opportune time for Le Pen’s policies
of expelling foreign nationals on the watch list. The problem being that
the perpetrator of the shooting, which occurred during a live televised
election debate, was locally born, had recently spent twelve years in
jail, bore a history of violent crime, had made recent threats to kill
police and had previously shot at two officers way back in 2001.

That
didn’t stop Islamic State, via their propaganda media outlets, from
immediately issuing a statement that he was acting on their behalf. They
wrongly claimed he came from Belgium and gave his name as Abu Yusuf al-Beljiki.
It was actually Karim Cheurfi and he was not on France’s terror
watchlist. But a handwritten note praising ISIL group was found near his
body.

A WILD RIDE AHEAD

The
shooting occurred as retrograde Jupiter was reaching Le Pen’s Libran
Ascendant. It has the obvious potential to buoy her support. And –
again assuming her birth time is correct – it has the potential
to influence the outcome of the election.

For
the immediate future, Mercury’s current retro motion and stationary
conjunction with surprise packet Uranus, will promote a much more radical
mood across the coming weeks. It suggests that someone outside the traditional
parties must win.

The
combination of high tech Uranus with media Mercury was uniquely represented
by the hard left candidate - Jean-Luc Mélenchon - appearing in
multiple areas as a hologram. You can hardly get more Uranian than that!

Le
Pen's candidacy was announced on April 8 2016, appropriately with the
Sun conjunct rebel rouser Uranus. Macron's new political party , En Marche'
was formed two days before - again with the Sun and Uranus aligned. And
Uranus is the most elevated planet in Melenchon's chart. What is always
guaranteed with Uranus, is a wild ride ahead. More to come.

APRIL
16

Last
week we revisited the Solar Eclipse of February the 26th, conjunct smoke
and mirrors Neptune and re-igniting the horoscope of the contentious Reichstag
Fire. The implication being that we might expect similar events to act
as a pretext for military action in the months to follow that eclipse.

I
published those observations earlier in the year for a valid reason. The
Reichstag Fire is a lesson for all, to be alert and ready. And not to
fall, hook line and sinker, for the official version of events. Examine
the motivations behind the rhetoric. So continuing from last week…

On
April 4 2017, at sometime between 6 and 7 am, a chemical attack took place
at Khan Sheykun, Syria. The official White House report claimed a time
of 6.55 am, and BBC witnesses reported it as 6.30 am. But the 6.55 am
is interesting anyway, as it clearly shows Mars rising at the location
of the attack.

We
all know the national narratives. The White House and western allies immediately
held the Syrian government forces accountable. The Syrian government blamed
the jihadist mercenaries. And the Russians claimed it was all a frame
up to encourage the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad. Then Donald
Trump gave the okay to bomb Syria.

The
incongruity of the chemical attack, two days after the US declared no
intention of overthrowing al-Assad – and during a war that he was
obviously winning – didn’t add up. What did was an overlay
of the chemical attack chart with the Reichstag Fire. The connections
are eye-catching. Here's the overlaid charts below.

There is another side to the Syrian civil war that rarely features in
the western media or government accounts. It concerns money and pipelines.
It’s the reason that Gulf allies, such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar,
are throwing millions upon millions, funding jihadist groups to overthrow
the Syrian government. And creating a human catastrophe.

It’s
why the Saudis biggest trading partner, the United States, was supplying
support to the rebels. Bashar Al-Assad refused a gas pipeline proposal
from Qatar, through Syria and into Turkey. Instead he chose to support
a competitor’s offer and signed up for the Iran/Iraq/Syria deal.
The multi-billion dollar gas sales would enrich these nations, and serve
Russian interests.

There’s
a problem there. A stronger Syria would pose a threat to Israel and they
could also increase their influence in Lebanon. Iran and Iraq are growing
closer and are strongholds of the Shia Muslim sect. They are the only
sect to depose a puppet dictator – the Shah - and create a people’s
revolution. It’s something the Gulf monarchies fear, yet may curiously
be creating the conditions for.

Then
there’s equally big fish to fry. Russia, a supporter of Syria and
Iran, are playing hard ball with the west. Putin’s satellite exposure
of ISIL’s oil convoys, onselling to G20 countries, proved an embarrassment
for the war on terror. Further, Wikileaks documents revealed the US awareness
of the Saudis funding to Al-Nusra and Al-Qaeda in Syria.

Despite
imposing sanctions upon any country supporting terrorism – George
W. used this as a reason for the 2003 Iraq invasion – Saudi Arabia
are supplied with extra weapons instead. This isn’t politic opinion
incidentally. It’s an established fact! The rules for one, do not
apply to the other.

It’s
why Donald Trump – against all his electoral promises – got
involved with Syria. Foget Ivanka’s anguish. The US military also
has bigger fish to fry. And they’re saying the bombing of Syria
may be a one off. But here's another astrological hook up. Bashar Al-Assad
signed his pipeline deal with Iran, the year that his civil war began,
on June 15 2011.

A
comparison of the horoscope of Donald Trump with that of the Syrian pipeline
deal makes multiple challenging correlations.

Trump
is drawn into this situation like a moth to the flame. For all his bluster
and blunder re the quagmire of wasteful Middle East wars – some
things stay remarkably the same.

THE
UNIVERSE HAS A DARK SENSE OF HUMOUR

It
may be cruel irony, but Donald Trump was born on June 14 1946, the same
day that the Baruch plan was presented to the United Nations Atomic Energy
Commission.

Named
after its author, the Baruch plan was drawn up to prevent nuclear technology
from being used to perpetuate weapons of war. It never got off the ground.
Now a man transfixed by such technology, and born the same day, has the
nuclear codes at his fingertips.

Trump
- “It's so incredible. It's brilliant. It's genius. Our technology,
our equipment, is better than anybody by a factor of five…nobody
can even come close to competing. . . . So what happens is, I said we've
just launched 59 missiles heading to Iraq and I wanted you to know this.
And he was eating his cake. And he was silent.”

The
interviewer interrupts what may be a Freudian slip re Iraq. She corrects,
"Heading to Syria?"

Describing
his dinner with the silent man – Chinese President Xi Jigping -
Trump adds, “you know, the guy you just had dinner with just attacked
a country.”

He
seemed content to boast about it. The next day a new foreign policy statement
was released...via Twitter.

@realDonaldTrump
- North Korea is looking for trouble. If China decides to help, that would
be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them! U.S.A. 11 Apr
2017 12.03.43 UT

BOMBS AWAY

On
April 13 at 19.32 hours the USA drops the largest bomb since WWII –
a massive ordinance air blast – over Achin, Afghanistan. Small wonder
then, that the cracking sound a Taser sent commuters stampeding at Penn
St Station in New York on Easter Friday. The nation is on edge. And they're
not the only nation feeling that way.

But
for the USA, it’s not without reason – even without the erratic
Trump factor. This time of year has been notorious for hostilities, since
the first shots of the Revolutionary War rang out on April 19 1775. The
Baltimore Riots of April 19 1861 culminated in an even more lethal Civil
War. And so it goes in the third week of April.

At this time every year, the transiting Sun is moving through the late
degrees of Aries and squaring lethal Pluto in the July 4 1776 horoscope
of the USA. Adding to that, currently the USA’s Secondary Progressing
Sun is also closing on a square to Pluto and the Moon is moving to square
progressing Pluto.

What
does all of that astro-jargon mean? Well it’s probably not the best
time of year to be issuing deadly threats or playing with weapons of war.
Not when when the planet of destruction - deep and dark Pluto - is so
highly active.

And
it might be a good idea for Twitter to block some overworked accounts...even
if only for a week or two. Maybe then we could all breathe a little easier.
For one can hardly fight a war on terror, when one is so intent on creating
it.

APRIL
9

At
3.40 am EEDT on April 7 2017, 59 US Tomahawk missiles were launched at
the Syrian Shayrat air base in the rebel held city of Homs. So what’s
new? It was the first US direct intervention against Bashar Al-Assad’s
government, enmeshed in a civil war that has made this ancient land a
modern apocalypse.

Trump
ordered this pre-emptive strike on his Jupiter return, as the authoritative
Sun moved within a minute of opposition and with extreme Pluto also in
square. He did so as the emotional Moon moved across his birth Mars, and
the same planet of war came to his Ascendant.

Trump
was feeling anxious, angry and agitated – compelled to act fast.
Reports of a chemical attack on the town of Khan Sheikhun filled the headlines.
The US military and western press blamed the Syria air force. Russia blamed
the western backed rebels for the atrocity. What was missing was any serious
investigation.

On
the surface, it made no sense. Why would the Syrian government risk the
wrath of the world in a war they were now clearly winning? Why bomb civilians
instead of the actual enemy? Were they convinced he had no interest in
the Syrian war? Or is the US embarking on a much wider conflict?

CONSISTENT INCONSISTENCY?

Trump's
campaign repeatedly emphasized wasteful spending on intractable Middle
East conflicts. On Syrian refugees, Trump promised, “If I win they’re
going back.” He often referred to them as a Trojan horse, adding
that Americans needed to build a big beautiful wall. And he cut no extra
favours for children.

This
is the guy when questioned, at the New Hampshire primary, on whether he
could "look children aged five, eight, ten, in the face and tell
them they can't go to school here", replies. "I can look in
their faces and say 'You can't come'. I'll look them in the face.”

Trump’s
Twitter feeds were persistently advising President Obama to stay out of
Syria even after the controversial Ghouta chemical attacks of 2013. Here’s
just a few of the many.

@realDonaldTrumpWe should stay the hell out of Syria, the "rebels"
are just as bad as the current regime. WHAT WILL WE GET FOR OUR LIVES
AND $ BILLIONS?ZERO
00.33.43 UT 16 Jun 2013

@realDonaldTrumpThe President must get Congressional approval before
attacking Syria-big mistake if he does not!
23.02.31 UT 30 Aug 2013

@realDonaldTrumpThe only reason President Obama wants to attack
Syria is to save face over his very dumb RED LINE statement. Do NOT attack
Syria, fix U.S.A.
11.13 51 UT 5 Sep 2013

Trump
wasted no time in refuting his own advice when he fronted the American
media last week. Perfectly defining the word hypocrisy he declared, “I
think the Obama administration had a great opportunity to solve this crisis
a long time ago, when he said ‘the red line in the sand.”

But
perhaps it was this Tweet that gave an insight into who is the ‘real’
Donald Trump.

@realDonaldTrumpIf we are going to continue to be stupid and go
into Syria (watch Russia), as they say in the movies, SHOOT FIRST AND
TALK LATER! 10:19 PM - 29 Aug 2013 12.19.42

A SUDDEN U-TURN

In
the week that was, Donald Trump did a military about face. Simultaneously,
his chief strategist Steve Bannon was removed from the National Security
Council. These events have many of Trump’s supporters now suspicious
that he’s actually just another puppet of the deep state's military
industrial complex.

A
little over six weeks ago I wrote on the Solar Eclipse of February 26
2017. It occurred with Neptune, the planet of spin, subterfuge and bingo…chemicals.
Add to that the horoscope of the 2017 Aries Ingress over Washington. It
also had ambiguous Neptune rising.

My
article on the eclipse concentrated on the uncanny similarity between
it and the horoscope of the Reichstag Fire in Germany. This was the pretext
of Hitler’s Enabling Act and a Nazi police state. The subsequent
military build up led into WWII. The Reichstag Fire became famous for
the term false flag attack.

The
Reichstag Fire was as real as the Syrian chemical incident. The real debate
lay in who was behind it. And what agenda the fire was used to advance.
Many thinking people will be asking these very questions in the coming
weeks. We will also have predictable knee jerk reactions from ‘debriefed’
allies.

Has
Trump truly had an epiphany regarding as he emphasized, 'children of God?'
If so, it is a selective conscience. He exhibited no signs of compassion
when told of the senseless slaughter of Yemeni children carried out in
a botched operation by his own army mere weeks before.

Instead,
Trump made the tribute to a fallen Navy Seal the emotional centerpiece
of his State of the Union address. Would he be willing to accomodate the
increasing tide of refugees that escalated war would most certainly produce?

CAN'T HIDE THAT MARS

My
astro-analysis on Trump is well known. He is part of the military machine.
His fast acting Sun/Uranus at birth is aligned to the USA’s birth
Mars and square the country’s spin planet of Neptune. Trump’s
campaign began on a New Moon with Mars, also bang on America’s Mars.
Nothing could be more obvious. Click
here for the biwheel

His
style is, and will continue to be, consistently confrontational. His upping
of the military budget by a whopping $54 billion – almost 10% increase
- made no financial, but perfect astrological, sense. He will involve
the country in war. There are political pay-offs.

When
American presidents fire off the first salvo, regrettably, up goes their
polling. Coincidentally, in an eye blink the Russian investigations are
now off front page. And the patriotic cold war rivalry is revived. At
what cost and where to from here? With a Mars transit heading for Trump's
Midheaven this week, don’t expect the rhetoric to soften.

On
August 21 2017, a Solar Eclipse will reactivate the Sun degree of the
2013 Ghouta chemical bombing in Syria. It will mark the fourth anniversary
of an act that killed over ten times the number of the recent incident.
That was the one Trump was so insistent that Obama not act upon.

The
same August eclipse will occur on Trump’s Ascendant, perilously
near his Mars and just prior to his Mars return. This will also be Israel’s
Mars return and Netanyahu’s Mars return. The eclipse will not miss
either. They are all on the same page. Need I say more. But I will because
there is plenty more. Next week.

April
2

LOOK...UP IN THE SKY...IT'S A BIRD...

Two
important events happened in 1938. Both would have an enduring effect
on American media. This week we can have some fun with both. On April
18, a new comic book hero appeared on the morning news-stands. One whose
appeal would surpass all other. One who would lock in with the American
psyche and become a cultural icon of the 20th century.

Superman
was selling over a million comics each edition as early as 1940. The concept
was years in the planning. He was the brainchild Jerry Siegel. Superman
was true to the psychological axiom that every writer's character contains
something of themselves. Siegel was the son of Russian Jew immigrants.

Siegel’s
character first appeared via a story published in January 1933, entitled
'The Reign of Superman'. The first Superman was a far cry from the one
Siegel later recast as a hero. Bill Dunn was a vagrant, granted telepathic
powers by drinking a scientific potion, who planned to rule the entire
world.

In
a perhaps a not so strange case of life imitating art, Adolf Hitler also
became the German Vice-Chancellor on January 30 1933. Hitler would thereafter
wield a trance like control over the minds of the German populace, embarking
on his own plan of global dominance. Hitler too had spent his twentieth
year a vagrant on the streets of Vienna.

SUPERMAN
COMES GOOD

The
new Superman was to resurface April 18 1938 on the cover of the June edition
of Action Comics. He was now a character of impeccable moral code and
super strength. His original mission, exposing corrupt political lobbyists
and senators in Washington DC. His second saw him confronting arms dealers
and stopping a war by making the leaders of both countries fight it out
between themselves.

Little
wonder that the appeal of Superman has faded into today's world where
arms sales and promoting wars are a mainstay of the national budget. But
those were the days of 'truth, justice and the American way'. And Superman
was about to become the archetypal national hero. The astrological aspects
and his synastry with the American Independence horoscope reveals why.

Superman
arrived as a refugee from Krypton. His rapid evacuation from a planet
about to explode mirrored the theme of the alien escapees from the old
world, finding their fortune in a new land. For a country grown through
immigration, it held great appeal. Under the looming shadow of war in
Europe, even greater.

Placed
in a rocket as a baby, with his fate literally in the winds has parallels
to the legend of Sargon the Great, master of the Akkadian Empire, or in
a later millennium Moses in the bulrushes of the Nile. The hero's motif
of the abandoned baby links to mythical characters such as Hercules or
Achilles. Not all end up as basket cases.

Kal-El
adapts to his Kansas home in Smallville and the customs of his locale.
As an adult he moves to Metropolis, or Bigville. Here he scores a job
as mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent. He works in a newspaper building
known as the Daily Planet. A multi-story skyscraper on the outside, we
only ever see one floor on the inside.

MYSTIQUE
AND MERRIMENT

The
lone floor contains an Perry White's editorial office, three other rooms
for reporters Kent and his sidekicks Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. And a
mysterious fourth storeroom with a window constantly open, probably to
prevent frequently broken glass. You're familiar with the sign –
in case of an emergency...break the glass.

Although
Clark Kent and Superman look remarkably similar, the donning of a pair
of glasses renders such resemblance irreconcilable to those who work with
him the most – namely Lane, Olsen and White. Kent doesn't really
require glasses as he his own eyes are more powerful than any telescope
or microscope.

He
even has X-ray vision. But his strict moral code means that nobody has
to worry about wearing lead underwear. Superman's x-rays and super hearing
are exclusively for seeing through the walls of his criminal foes or the
contents of their briefcase.

There
are a lot of unanswered questions about Superman. How he matured without
ever growing a a beard or needing a haircut? How he manages to fit his
Clark Kent suit into his cape and both remain uncrumpled? Indeed how his
Krypton baby blanket expanded to an adult costume. And we won't even ask
how or why the S was put on the front.

FREEDOM
OF THE MEDIA

More
important was his choice of employment. An investigative journalist solving
all the cases and landing all the scoops. The American Revolution was
born from the writings of Samuel Adams and the publications of Benjamin
Franklin. Nowhere is the power of the press more evident. And this is
where the truth justice and the American way comes in. No fake news or
opinion pieces in the Daily Planet. Just the facts.

The
other major media event of 1938 also came out of the skies. It was fake
news. From 8 pm on October 30 it was transmitted into the radio sets of
unsuspecting Americans. The radio adaptation of 'War Of The World's' was
so realistically presented by Orson Wells that it was headlined as causing
mass panic in newspapers across the nation.

Welles
arranged his radio drama as a series of breaking news bulletins, relayed
from various locations as an attack by invaders from Mars. In some areas
it created hysteria, although probably not to the degree that was later
reported. But enough for the police to raid the CBS studios and sufficient
for network stations to assure callers this was just a radio play.

TRUST
ME...I'M A RADIO ANNOUNCER?

The
station announcer on WGAR, Jack Paar, pleaded with his listeners, "The
world is not coming to an end. Trust me. When have I ever lied to you?"
But in the shadows of a looming war the audience wasn't buying into Paar's
narrative. A Princeton study found 'War Of The Worlds' had an audience
of around 6 million. Out of that 1.7 million bought the hoax. That's better
than one in very four.

So
w hat was really happening skywards when terror struck the radio waves?
The emotional public Moon was closely opposed to lethal Pluto with the
Sun in close square to both. The mock invasion,when compared with the
horoscope of the USA, shows Mars at the Midheaven and illusory Neptune
within three minutes of its return.

Wrapping
up, I could only find two charts that repeated the Sun/Moon/Pluto arrangement
of War of The Worlds. They were rather ironic. One was the Affordable
Care Act an ongoing battle since its launch date. The other was Wayne
LaPierre - head of the National Rifle Association.

March
26

GASLIGHTING

A
fortnight ago I penned a piece on the Aries Ingress - the true astrological
New Year. The moment that the Sun crosses the equator and the day and
night are equal in time becomes the tipping point for a new revolution
around the Sun.

My
article analyzed the ingress over Washington, the political capital of
the western world. Neptune was at the Ascendant. The simple significance
is that things are never as they seem. Neptune is the symbolic smokescreen
in the planetary pantheon. Washington politics is entering the Twilight
Zone.

A
few minutes past the exact moment of the ingress a message permeated the
Twittersphere. How fitting a Donald Trump tweet would coincide with this
celestial signal. Was the universe offering up a cryptic clue to its camouflage
or simply revealing the grand illusionists?

Trump
stated, “James Clapper and others stated that there is no evidence
Potus colluded with Russia. This story is FAKE NEWS and everyone knows
it!” Fake news has become a catchphrase of this President! Dependent
upon whether its for him or against him. Click
here for the charts.

All
week long Donald Trump had posted how Barack Obama had “wiretapped”
Trump Tower during the election campaign. Was he throwing out yet another
red herring? Was he trying to deflect the national narrative from the
genuine intelligence investigations?

MASTERING
THE ART OF THE REAL

Three
and a half hours past the ingress, FBI Director James Comey and NSA director,
Admiral Mike Rogers, appeared before a Congressional hearing. At 11.02
am Monday March 20, Comey was quizzed “Was the President's claim
that Obama had his wire tapped in Trump Tower a true statement?”

Comey
carefully replied, "With respect to the President's tweets about
alleged wiretapping directed at him by the prior administration, I have
no information that supports those tweets." It came as the public
Moon squared the leadership Sun. But Comey did have some relevant facts
to deliver.

The
FBI was conducting an investigation into alleged Russian interference
with the 2016 election. The Aries Ingress wasn’t a good day for
presidential credibility. And it would set the tone for the week to come.
And probably – as ingresses go - the months to follow.

The
FBI was also investigating possible links between the Russians and the
Trump campaign. But Trump clearly is no fan of the intelligence community.

Back
on February 15 this year he tweeted, “Information is being illegally
given to the failing @nytimes & @washingtonpost by the intelligence
community (NSA and FBI?).Just like Russia”.

Well
dreamtime Neptune is definitely associated with inexplicable phenomena
such as telepathy and knowing something without knowing exactly how or
why.

So
government leaks are a formality. A bit like a twelve year old Trump tax
return mysteriously appearing as a convenient diversion. Although Neptune
can be even more attached to the concealment of the more current ones.

MUTINY
IN THE PARTY?

There
were plenty of clues in the Ingress horoscope pertaining to difficulties
at the White House. The Moon and Saturn together in the governmental tenth
house indicated administrative obstacles, frustrations arising from blockages,
delays and unpopularity with the public. All were clearly evident by the
Friday March 24.

Shortly
after 3 pm the Republicans pulled their much-publicized and long promised
health care act. It was a major defeat for a President who has already
seen legislation rejected by the courts and watched personal appointees
resign or stand down.

Trump reflexively blamed the Democrats, despite having a majority in both
houses. It was avoiding the obvious – a Republican mutiny - and
the clearest signs of a schism. By late Friday afternoon Trump was claiming
he’d personally pulled the health care bill. Instead, he'd tried
to bulldoze it through.

Simultaneously the House Speaker, Paul Ryan, was saying the President
acted instead on 'his' advice. As the finger pointing began, each were
incongruously praising the other. Penetrating this propaganda reveals
a power struggle taking place deeper within the party.

Days
before the health care plan deservedly went down in flames, the Breitbart
website, formerly run by senior Trump strategist Steve Bannon– ran
a disparaging article on Paul Ryan. It released a recording from October
10 2016 in which the Speaker refuses to support Trump’s candidacy.
The timing was hardly accidental.

CHALK
AND CHEESE

The
horoscopes of the Republican President, Donald Trump and the Republican
House Speaker, Paul Ryan are chalk and cheese different. Ryan has shape-shifting
Neptune sitting right at his Ascendant. It’s one stellar reason
why the Trump supporters view Ryan as a crafty career ‘politician’
and poster boy for the establishment.

Donald
Trump’s Pluto opposes Paul Ryan’s Sun with an orb of only
one degree. Trump was like Darth Vader manifesting out of the darkness
to extinguish Ryan’s light. The two struggle for dominance. Trump’s
Pluto opposes Paul Ryan’s Venus within an orb of only four minutes.
Ditto to Ryan’s values and popularity.

Donald
Trump’s Saturn squares Paul Ryan’s Moon. The orb is down to
twenty two minutes. Talk about an emotional dampener. Here’s cold
and calculating Saturn sabotaging the public Moon. This is also a dominant
square from Saturn, meaning the ringed planet binds up the Moon big time.

Donald
Trump’s Uranus squares Paul Ryan’s Midheaven. Uranus is the
unpredictable agitator. The Midheaven represents status and ambition.
Recognition and reputation change in a blinding eye blink when these two
square off. Both will tend to rain on each other's parade.

Donald
Trump’s Mars and Ascendant squares Paul Ryan’s Ascendant.
Think two predators vying for identical territory. They want the same
prize but someone’s going to get hurt with this uncompromising angle.
Mars means war! If it’s not public yet it may eventually be heading
that way.

Trump’s
Sun and Moon are in hard aspect to Ryan’s Sun and Venus. If you’re
thinking that these two guys come from different sides of the track…that
would be a colossal understatement. With all of these challenging aspects
the Hatfields and McCoys would stand a better chance of working in harmony.

Only
the supreme optimist would spin these planetary combinations as opportunity
for growth. They're more akin to inventing a fish milkshake laced with
curry and ketchup. Some things just simply don’t go together.

And
so was the week that was. An Aries Ingress that repeats a pattern - Neptune
at the Ascendant - Moon and Saturn at the Midheaven - last seen in 1945.
That's when the two people filled the Presidential post.

After an inauspicious beginning, it’s something that Donald Trump
is working hard to avoid. But for Ryan, the eventual removal of Trump
may be essential in preserving his own political career.

March
19

Last
week's column, click here for the
link, explained the Aries Ingress over Washington. And how the influence
of Neptune rising would throw a cloud of secrecy, confusion and possible
deception over international relations. This week looks further into the
history of the US, China and the Korean peninsula.

THE
CHINESE CONNECTION

As
the Chinese economy and influence grows so does the threat to US power
in the Asian Pacific. Countries like South Korea and Japan are being encouraged
to ramp up their military budgets. And during the week the new US Secretary
of State, Rex Tillerson, has been meeting the leaders of both, before
jetting into China.

The
timing of Tillerson's visit is highly auspicious. It's a far cry from
the days when Richard Nixon was hailed as a visionary for becoming the
first US President to visit the People's Republic.

Nixon's
ambitious venture was given extensive media coverage. It culminated in
the Shanghai Communique, stating that neither power should "seek
hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region”. Nixon's trip proved a political
master-stroke. The President played on divisions between China and the
USSR, prior to negotiating the SALT Treaty with the Soviets.

Normalising
relations with Communist China paved the way for economic liberalisation
programs that would support global growth well into the following millennium.
That was forty five years ago.

Astrologically
that means that the horoscope of the US and China coming together, has
now reached a forty five degree semisquare by solar arc direction. This
challenging angle puts the whole relationship under a crisis point of
necessary change. Tillerson's trip is potentially the most important made
since Nixon's historic landing on February 21 1972.

The
US China economic co-dependency has grown to where the US is China's biggest
export market, outside the European Union. China, along with being the
biggest holder of US securities, is the third biggest export market for
the US. But there are some elephants in the room. They lie on China's
northern border at the Korean peninsula.

TWO
TRIBES – ONE PEOPLE

The
ancient kingdom of Korea has been a land divided since the end of World
War Two. Emancipated from Japanese governance, dating back to annexation
of August 22 1910, Korea ceded control of the south to the USA, whilst
the Soviets took the north above the 38th parallel. The two sides became
the geopolitical embodiment of the Cold War.

The
North and South went to war at dawn on June 25 1950. That day featured
a volatile Sun/Uranus conjunction in a tight square to the battle planet
Mars. In effect it was a proxy war with China and the USSR backing the
North and the USA and United Nations supporting the South. On the latest
estimates it claimed over a million lives.

The
conflict had no official end. Instead, after three years of fighting,
an armistice was agreed upon at 10 am on July 27 1953 at Panmunjom and
signed with no words spoken. In the South, they call the conflict the
'625 Upheaval'. In the North it is referred to as the 'Fatherland Liberation
War'. And China branded those years as 'the War to Resist US Aggression
and Aid Korea'.

OCCUPIED
TERRITORY

Today
those narratives have hardly changed. The two sides are provocatively
divided by border guards and a barbed wire demilitarised zone, four kilometers
wide and two hundred and fifty kilometers long. The US has never left.
In January of 1958 they introduced nuclear weapons to the peninsula. They
were withdrawn in December of 1991, with the hopes of reunification.

Over
28,000 US troops remain stationed in the South and joint military exercises
are regularly undertaken. Meantime, the North maintains the fourth largest
army in the world and have developed their own nuclear weapons program.
They are believed to have between fifteen to twenty nuclear bombs.

South
Korea, as one of the world's richest and technologically advanced nations,
had similar plans. They were dissuaded from developing their own weapons
and instead rely upon a US nuclear umbrella. South Korea have an agreement
with Washington, that if the nation were attacked the US would assume
military control of the peninsula.

NORTH
KOREA

On
September 9 1948 the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea was formed,
under the leadership of Kim II Sung. The title of Supreme Leader was his
for almost half a century, until his death on July 8 1994. Today his birthday
is commemorated as the Day of the Sun.

During
the decades of the 60's and 70's, with Soviet support, the economy of
the North easily outperformed the South. Today the opposite is the case.
North Korea's fierce nationalism has isolated them from the generous living
conditions enjoyed by their southern counterparts.

Since
the formation of the DPRK, leadership has remained a one family affair.
Kim Jong-il led the country through 1994 to 2011. Under his rule North
Korea withdrew from the nuclear proliferation treaty and pursued nuclear
weaponry. Today the baton has passed to his second son Kim Jong-un.

Despite
crippling economic sanctions, North Korea maintains the world's fourth
largest standing army. Kim Jong-un has accelerated his missile program
and boasted about reaching the west coast of the US. The US have pressured
China to act. But China fears the fallout of a possible collapse of the
North Korean state.

TRUMP
AND THE ASTROMAPPING OF MARS

This
is where the birth horoscope of Donald Trump, the US commander in chief,
becomes vitally important. The dominant planet in his horoscope is Mars,
rising at his birth.

And
as described in previous columns, all of his campaign successes featured
the red planet prominent. Already Trump's connection to the US military
is proving more than just an astrological reality.

If
you relocate Trump's horoscope to Washington, DC, then Mars comes precisely
to his Ascendant degree. In short he brings his Mars – the planet
of military aggression and competition – right to the White House.
Then if you look at where his Mars was setting at is birth, you'll find
it precisely over the North Korean capital of Pyongyang and northern Chinese
border.

Having
a planet on an angle maximises its power in that specific location. It's
what makes the ramifications of Tillerson's mission, ahead of Xi Jinping's
imminent visit to the USA, so important. Potentially the most important
time since 1972 for the two nations.

March
12

Before
I begin this weeks analysis of the 2017 Aries Ingress keep in mind that
the late February Solar Eclipse is climaxing its energies at this weekend's
Full Moon. Remember it is 'dissolving' power structures and undermining
leaders.

In South Korea the impeachment of deposed President Park Geun-hye was
upheld by the courts. She may even face incarceration on corruption charges.
In Australia the long term Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett was
swept out of power in a landslide defeat.

On New Years eve on Sydney radio station 2GB I forecast
that the Australian Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull may not see out 2017
as Prime Minister. This monumental swing away from the Liberal Party must
surely have Turnbull nervous for the future.

This week's column examines an ancient astrological technique for analyzing
the year ahead. It is the location specific Aries Ingress and this week
we look at some important ones of the past and check out this years Aries
Ingress over Washington.

THE ASTROLOGICAL NEW YEAR

One
of the core beliefs of astrology lies in assigning the potential of any
given entity or project, to the precise moment of its beginning. Astrologers
work with birth charts, preferably timed down to the minute. It works
the same when examining global trends.

The
annual astrological Big Bang happens the moment that the Sun crosses the
equator in a northerly direction. It marks a fresh solar cycle around
the zodiac. The birth moment is known as the Aries Ingress, and is traditionally
considered the most important of the four seasonal ingress charts used
to describe the annual trend.

All
ingress charts are location specific. That's because the most significant
factors are planets that are rising, setting, culminating or at the base
of the ingress chart. In short those that are on the angles or aspected
to those angles. Further considerations are given to the outstanding aspects
between planets, especially those involving the Sun.

THE
INGRESS IN PRACTISE

A
good example of an Aries Ingress horoscope forecasting future directions
involves that cast for London on March 21 1939 – the year that brought
World War Two. The 1939 Aries Ingress shows a New Moon in a close and
challenging square to the war planet Mars. Destructive Pluto is rising
at the Ascendant. Clearly this was a war horoscope and so it proved.

Another
prime illustration is the Aries Ingress, set for the location of New York
for 2001, the year of the 911 attacks. This horoscope shows the natural
malefic, Saturn, rising. Saturn is also in the degree of the most violent
and dangerous fixed star in the heavens, Algol. The Ascendant of this
chart maligned by Saturn and Algol is as bad as it gets from a worldly
perspective. Click
here for the larger chart.

As
the Ascendant describes the outlook of the country and its people, the
Saturn/Algol connection describes the public sorrow and restrictions that
accompanied 911. A volatile Mars/Pluto union lies ominously in the seventh
house of allies and enemies. The same patterns replicated in the following
Cancer seasonal ingress.

There
is a case for examining succeeding ingress charts. The logic of this involves
scanning for repetitive patterns. The 2001 Cancer Ingress, for New York,
also placed Neptune at the Midheaven and the aggressive Mars Pluto conjunction
repeating in the seventh house, whilst Saturn remained in the first house.
It reinforced the Aries pattern.

HINDSIGHT
WISDOM

2001
changed the way Americans thought about the world. It made them more fearful
and judgmental– Saturn at the Ascendant. It brought new restrictions
on the public such as the Patriot Act and changed travel forever. The
negativity of Saturn was exacerbated by the Algol connection. The fixed
star likened to the severed head of Medusa symbolizes the multiplying
terrorist threat.

Neptune
in the administrative tenth house represented the government being caught
asleep at the wheel, or living in a bubble. It indicates that the people
believe the government may be smoke-screening some of the facts here and
supports conspiracy theories. Neptune may reflect an ineffective or deceptive
leadership and even the influence of 'big oil' on the administration.

Mars
and Pluto in the seventh house of allies and enemies is self-explanatory.
This brings military extremists or radical terrorists. There is a danger
of war or acts of war inflicted. Here the anger of, Mars combines with
the demolition of Pluto. Of course in hindsight this is easily interpreted.
But regardless these ingress charts are obviously challenging.

A
further annual forecasting technique is to cast a chart for the exact
time that the Sun returns to its birth position. In the example of the
USA, the original Sibly birth chart of 17.10 hours July 4 1776 Philadelphia
is used. The 2001 solar return can be recast for New York or Washington.
Both repeat the pattern of the ingress charts. Saturn is at the Ascendant,
Neptune at the Midheaven and Mars and Pluto are in the seventh.

REPETITIVE
PATTERN OF 2017

As
in 2001, there is a replication of the Aries Ingress and the Cancer Ingress
and additionally in the birth horoscope of the USA recast for 2017. This
time Neptune will be at the Ascendant and Saturn in the 10th house or
conjunct the Midheaven. The same two planets swapping places. Fortunately
Algol is not involved and neither is there a Mars Pluto conjunction.

The
Aries Ingress horoscope for Washington in 2017 occurs at 06.08.34 hours
on March 20. Saturn in the governmental tenth house conjunct the public
Moon is indicative of a more rigid and conservative rule. Saturn represents
the establishment and the old way of doing things. The authority factor
of Saturn implies greater restrictions or control.

Click
here if you wish a larger chart.
Saturn is not about winning popularity contests and the public Moon's
conjunction with Saturn supports this. It represents authoritarianism.
It can also indicate administrative obstacles to be overcome, delays and
difficulties in the White House. Neptune prominent at the Ascendant casts
a cloud of uncertainty around international relationships and the national
projection.

Any
planet conjunct the Ascendant describes the country's immediate outlook.
Neptune conjures ambiguity and uncertainty. Under these auspices conspiracy
theories, concepts like fake news and deliberately misleading statements
prevail. Again the influence of big oil can be playing a pivotal role.
Naval power and control of water or waterways are issues central to Neptune.

SIFTING
THROUGH THE SMOKE-SCREENS

There
is a need for greater logic and discrimination when the planet of spin
is prominent. For example, Neptune was rising in the Aries Ingress of
2003 cast for Baghdad. Iraqi's expecting a rapid liberation from dictatorial
rule instead got US occupation. It can manifest as disappointment from
being misled. Whenever you find Neptune at the Ascendant things are not
as they seem on the surface.

Neptune's
association with water and oil is already bringing environmental issues
like the North Dakota pipeline increasingly to the fore. They will not
go away in a hurry. Meantime Saturn in the tenth suggests government crackdowns
and the adoption of a more austere approach to Neptunian concerns such
as social welfare programs.

Shape shifting Neptune also correlates with covert and hidden activities.
Wikileaks founder, Julian Assange, was born with Neptune right on his
Ascendant. Assanges's latest revelation about CIA spying techniques has
brought surveillance technology back into the national narrative. But
it works both ways. Government leaks should be a feature of the year.

The
last time Neptune appeared at the Ascendant and the Moon was conjunct
Saturn at the Midheaven was the 1945 Aries Ingress at Washington. It was
the final year of WWII, which also saw a change of Presidents.

Wrapping
up - do ingress charts consistently work? Personally, I don't find them
infallible. I prefer eclipses and synodic cycle work. They are but one
technique of many. However, when they do work, they can be incredibly
effective. Which is why they have survived the millennia.

March
5

Last
week I wrote about the Solar Eclipse of February 26 2017, click
here for the link, and how the last time a solar eclipse had appeared
in this Piscean degree, Bill Clinton had publicly lied about his affair
with Monica Lewinsky and was fighting impeachment proceedings.

FAILING
THE PINOCCHIO TEST

Within
days of the current eclipse the newly appointed Attorney General, Jeff
Sessions, was caught lying under oath to the US Congress. As a result
of that, and under increasing pressure, he recused himself from the investigation
that Russian state hackers played a leading role in influencing the US
election.

A
feature of the February Solar Eclipse is its proximity to Neptune, the
smokescreen planet of deception. As it is the Sun being eclipsed –
and the Sun traditionally represents leadership – it’s casting
doubts around the authenticity of Donald Trump’s presidency.

The
rulers of the ancient world were very superstitious about eclipses. Eclipses
represented potential change to the order. It was something that emperors
and kings took very seriously. Serious enough to swear in a temporary
and substitute king, often later be sacrificed to preserve the life of
the leader.

Trump
reacted to the threats to his command as his Mars rising chart suggests.
He went on all out attack. And he does so in a way that his horoscope
has a propensity for - obfuscation and aversion. Trump’s birth Mercury
squares illusory Neptune. He instinctively knows how to deflect and divert.

It’s
the kind of thinking that propelled his undermining the previous president
with relentless birth certificate propaganda. Again Trump instinctively
turned to Twitter, firing off a new counter-attack against his old nemesis.
It's all happening under a current triple conjunction of Sun, Mercury
and Neptune.

TWITTER
TO THE RESCUE

Trump
loves Twitter for a quick and easy headline. This time Trump is accusing
Obama of tapping his phone during the election. It’s deviously designed
to create a different narrative and paint Trump as the Neptunian victim.

But while this eclipse persists, those headlines of covert Russian influence
on the US election simply won’t go away. The undeniable fact, in
this Neptunian scenario, is that Trump’s justice advocate was caught
out lying under oath.

As he is the second Trump appointee to fail the Pinocchio test, after
the National Security Advisor General Mike Flynn, the President needs
a different headline. A headline that matches similar conspiracy strategies
put out by his chief advisor, Steve Bannon

THE
PUPPETEER

Bannon
is the puppeteer of the Trump administration. Born November 27 1953 in
Norfolk, Virginia, Bannon's Gemini Jupiter sits right on Trump's Gemini
Sun. It means that Bannon plays the Guru role for his president.

This is a 'success' combination - particularly as their birth Jupiters
also run in a supportive trine. The difficulty comes via their lack of
restraint - or excess.

It was Bannon who re branded Trump as rebel fighting the system. When
financial inequality was a major election issue, Trump could hardly be
portrayed as a billionaire living in a gilded tower.

Bannon sold Trump as an enemy of a so called deep state. The propagation
of an evil entity shadow government is a Bannon ideology. Both Trump and
Bannon ascribe to a virtual 'dystopian' view of the USA, evident in the
President's conspiracy laced inaugural address.

THE REAL DEEP STATE

Back on January 17 1961, then President Dwight Eisenhower, in his farewell
message, warned the American public about a genuine threat to its democracy.
He termed it the military industrial complex. Eisenhower claimed that
the weapons industry influenced politicians at every level of government.

To maintain its power the military industrial complex must exacerbate
the public's fears and insecurities. The created enemy, conspiracy theories
and covert operations are all part of Neptunian subterfuge. The world
must remain a dangerous place. Eternal vigilance then justifies exorbitant
expenditure.

Pre-election Donald Trump made a lot of noise about cutting spending on
expensive military hardware like the F-35. Last week he raised the military
budget by over fifty billion, in a time of record debt. It was no suprise.
When Trump announced his candidacy with a New Moon on Mars I wrote in
this column that he would be militaristic President.

There was further astro-evidence obvious in Trump's Sun and Uranus merging
with the USA's July 4 1776 birth Mars. Even when Trump won Wisconsin,
and secured the presidency, the Midheaven over Washington was passing
over the USA's birth Mars. As Bannon's Jupiter also falls on the US Mars,
theirs is a war combination.

The military budget of the USA dwarfs the next ten countries combined.
It's natural to question why the country needs to spend even more on destructive
weaponry, rather than improving quality of life.

The answer may again lie with Neptune - the planet that represents the
petroleum industry - and Trump's colonialist mantra, 'I always said, take
the oil'. But under the current eclipse, trust in Trump and governments
overall, is at a dangerous low. It's not so much what they're telling
us, as what they're not.

FEB
26 SOLAR ECLIPSE

The
February Annular Solar Eclipse falls on the 26th at 14.54.33 Universal
Time. It casts a similar global shadow to a solar eclipse of March 24
1933, the year that Adolf Hitler came to power. And we'll get to that
soon.

Eclipses
can also be read as part of a repetitive 19 year Metonic pattern. That's
because the soli-lunar cycle repeats over that time period. New Moons,
essential for any solar eclipse, reappear in virtually the identical area
of the zodiac.

The
February 2017 eclipse occurs at 8 degrees of Pisces, as did the solar
eclipse of March 26 1998. One month earlier, US President Bill Clinton
released his erroneous claim, "I did not have sexual relations with
that woman, Miss Lewinsky." Throughout March Clinton was front page
news - battling impeachment.

The
solar eclipse nineteen years prior occurred on February 26 at 7Pisces29.
At the beginning of that month, the spiritual leader of Iran, Ayatollah
Khomeini, returned from exile, empowering the Iranian Revolution and torpedoing
Jimmy Carter's only presidential term. Both events have something in common
with today?

Talk
of impeaching the US President has resurfaced in America and the US/Iran
relations are again at straining point. Often the eclipse series illustrate
similar scenarios. However, there's much more to this February eclipse
than the two subjects mentioned.

THE
ECLIPSE, NEPTUNE & THE REICHSTAG FIRE

The
February eclipse reactivates the zodiacal degree of the February 27 1933
Reichstag Fire. The burning of the German Houses of Parliament occurred
three days after a solar eclipse opposing Neptune. True to Neptune's illusory
nature, Hitler proclaimed the inferno to be a sign from God.

The
Reichstag fire was the literal spark for the dictatorial Enabling Act.
This allowed Adolf Hitler to bypass parliament in enacting new laws; essential
to his absolute power. As the current eclipse also spotlights Neptune,
history may hold some clues as to its effect.

The
blaze, blamed on the Communists, provided a pretext for the future Fuehrer
to ban opposition parties and jail political dissidents. Neptune, which
politically relates to socialist political movements was effectively 'eclipsed'.

Controversy
still reigns today over the opportune timing of the fire, which happened
less than a month after Hitler's appointment to Chancellor. Evidence uncovered
in recent years suggests it was a 'false flag' event, designed to discredit
his political opponents.

The
February 24 1933 eclipse was preceded by another solar eclipse on Neptune,
six months prior. Between these eclipses a clandestine meeting took place
involving Hitler and the politically powerful German General Kurt von
Schleicher.

The
General sought Hitler's support in a secret scheme to overthrow the government.
Hitler's autocratic plans were emboldened by such military subterfuge.

NEPTUNE
REPEATS

Last
September also witnessed a solar eclipse opposing Neptune. It may be why
subversive Neptunian elements predominate today’s political narrative.
Astute historians and social commentators are noting the current parallels
of populism and propaganda.

Right
wing nationalism is rising, eerily similar to the personality driven politics
of the 1930's. Marginalization of minorities has resurfaced. Not only
is the eclipse Sun in the same zodiacal degree as the Reichstag Fire.
It is also very close to the Uranus return of the same event and at both
the Nodal and Neptune opposition. Check the charts below or click
here for larger resolution.

The
current eclipse's close connection with deceptive Neptune may throw a
cloud of 'unknowing' around any major political events across the next
nine months. It would be wise to look beyond the surface appearances and
instead toward the hidden agendas with this smoke and mirrors planet in
such high focus.

THE
ECLIPSE AND THE 1993 WTC ATTACK

The
Reichstag fire is not the only major event that locks in with the March
26 eclipse. It was on February 26, back in 1993 that the first bombing
attack occurred on the World Trade Center.

Like
the Reichstag Fire, a chart comparison of the World Trade Center bombing
of 1993 and the eclipse reveals a further Uranus connection. This time
the Mars/Uranus conjunction of the eclipse runs square to the Uranus/Neptune
conjunction of the WTC attack. Check the charts below or click
here for a larger graphic.

We
are seeing a prospective theme emerging of potential danger to a notable
building or landmark. The implication, especially in today's world of
western terrorist paranoia, being that a real or false flag event could
be used to justify escalated military action or further erosion of civil
rights and independence.

ISIL
AND OPERATION NEPTUNE SPEAR

The
February 26 eclipse occurs simultaneous with a volatile Mars and Uranus
conjunction, between 21 and 22 degrees of fiery Aries. On the morning
of April 9 2013, the ISIL organisation was publicly announced via YouTube.
Mars was as 21 degrees of Aries. This eclipse is effectively a warlike
Mars return for ISIL.

Mars
was similarly placed for the execution of Osama bin Laden - dubbed Operation
Neptune Spear - in the early hours of May 2 2011. In fact Mars and Jupiter
were together - around 22/23 Aries - for this assassination.

The
February eclipse, as well as spotlighting these degrees, places Mars and
Jupiter currently in opposition. A clear motif connected to the shadowy
world of international terrorism is being highlighted via these planetary
placements associated with the eclipse.

THE
META MODEL

At
a meta level, the eclipse is emphasizing polarity – us and them
– white hat and black hat stuff. It also mirrors the downside of
subversive US engagement in Middle East politics. The Iranian Revolution
and the first WTC bombing were inspired by prior CIA and military operations.
So too, the rise of Bin Laden and Islamic State.

At
the heart of all of these operations were energy wars, from the overthrow
of Iranian PM Mohammad Mossedegh to the modern gulf states funding ISIS
to destabilize Iraq's oilfields. Always with Neptune one must look beyond
the veil, look for ulterior motives and follow the money trail.

And
sometimes it's the wars that are conspicuously absent from the western
media - such as Yemen - where the real inhumanities are effected. Media
support for government propaganda in all of these excursions has made
'fake news' an unfortunate reality. The key to this eclipse may sometimes
lie in reversing the roles of perpetrator and the victim.

FEB
19

THE
DAILY IDIOSYNCRACY

Ask
any astrologer to put a planet to the words radical, rebellious revolutionary
and eccentric and you’ll get one answer – Uranus. So it’s
no surprise that Donald Trump – born under a lunar eclipse with
his Sun on Uranus with the Moon opposing - should elicit a similar description.
Shock and surprise are delivered on a daily basis.

Uranus
in a concentrated form is eccentricity personified. Trump’s offbeat
style is witnessed via his whimsical and reactionary techno Twitter rants.
Political pundits are already predicting he won’t last the distance.
As the USA divides under this unconventional governance it pays to examine
the July 4 1776 17.10 hours Philadelphia birth chart.

From
February 2017, the Secondary Progressed Sun of the Sibly horoscope, representing
the leader, is running square to the Ascendant. This Ascending point,
where the ecliptic intercepts the horizon, depicts how the nation projects
into the international community. It is an angle of image and association.
Currently the leadership and the national image are running at cross-purposes.

As
March begins, the SP Moon will join the Ascendant and also run square
to the progressing Sun. This is putting the public (Moon) further at odds
with the administration. The US Ascendant is also fielding a testing square
from the transit of Neptune through Pisces, exact around the Aries Equinox
in March and prevalent again from September onward.

Neptune’s
smoke and mirrors will not dissipate until well into 2018. Casting the
2017 horoscopes of the Aries and Cancer Ingresses for the location of
the White House places Neptune directly at the Ascendant for both. Hence
the confusion, government leaks and mystery that surrounds Capitol Hill.

DREAM
A LITTLE DREAM OF ME

A
New York Times article recently referred to Trump’s advisor and
publicity aide Kelley Anne Conway as ‘sleepwalking her way…through
increasingly embarrassing interviews.” Dreamtime Neptune connects
with Conway’s, “alternative reality” or the Donald’s
fervent claims of “fake news”. It matters little that both
perpetuate the same.

The
President’s exaggeration of his inauguration numbers and fallacy
that he enjoyed the biggest Electoral College win since Ronald Reagan
is typical Neptune grandiose delusions. When challenged that Barack Obama
and Bill Clinton posted a higher electoral count, Trump retorted that
he was only referring to a Republican presidents. A detail he conveniently
omitted.

That
‘get out of jail’ card failed when he was confronted with
the fact that George Bush took the 1988 presidency with 426 Electoral
College votes compared to his 304. As Trump’s disregard for facts
and self-obsession is unprecedented, so is Neptune transiting across the
Secondary Progressed USA Sun whilst squaring the US Ascendant. It’s
a first.

THE
REPEAT PATTERN

Neptune
was last in departing square to the US Ascendant on January 4 1854, when
Senator Stephen Douglas introduced the bill for the formation of Nebraska.
It was the beginning of the Kansas-Nebraska Act that led the US down the
path of civil war. It also led to the formation of the Republican Party
that same year.

The
war did not eventuate until 1861 when Neptune reached the very foundation
of the US birth chart and dissolved national cohesion. This current period
is equally important when it comes to disunity. The signs of similar political
polarity are blindingly obvious.

History
does not repeat absolutely, just as the solar system doesn’t fully
duplicate its complex multiple patterns. Yet there are thematic similarities
that would be foolish to overlook. Neptune will again reach the IC, or
base of the USA chart in 2025. This ‘second coming’ will be
part of a Saturn Neptune conjunction.

SYSTEMATIC
CHANGE

The
study of the Saturn/Neptune planetary cycle correlates with developments
in the socialistic politics. At the 1846 conjunction – the year
that Neptune was discovered - Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels met. That
union led to the publication of the Communist Manifesto on February 21
1848, with the Sun conjunct Neptune. It was a year of sweeping revolutions
throughout Europe.

At
the heart of these uprisings, which abolished the French monarchy, were
basic rights such as freedom of assembly, freedom of the press. European
unrest was triggered via an oppressed majority living under the authoritarian
rule of a privileged minority. These days we call them the ‘one-percenters’.

Since
then, the Saturn Neptune conjunction has been at the forefront of two
Russian Revolutions in the 20th century. As power became concentrated
so their empire imploded. A similar class struggle is resurrected today,
courtesy of widening economic inequality.

If
the Sibly horoscope runs true to form the USA will experience a ‘fresh
start’ SP New Moon in 2024 in empathetic Pisces and later that year
the SP Midheaven will join revolutionary Uranus. It will mark a time of
social upheaval directly related to the degree of societal imbalance.
This is reinforced in 2025 as a political middle ground is cultivated.

HONEST
JOHN?

What
role does Donald Trump have in this? It may be easier to remove his name
for anonymity and just call him Honest John. Now Honest is acutely aware
that the big issue is economic inequality. He ran for President on it.
But shucks - he’s a billionaire. Somehow he had to continually associate
his opponent with the big end of town.

While
it’s not a lie, it’s a tactic deflecting the fact that Honest
John is the virtual embodiment of big end of town and always has been.
So much so that he refuses to release his tax returns for fear they might
torpedo his campaign. He claims the public are not interested. What they
are really not interested in is the election. Over 90 million people won’t
be voting in 2016.

Honest
John wears a cap, similar to the political activists Michael Moore and
Bernie Sanders. It’s an effective marketing ploy associating him
with the worker. The cap works a treat. Somehow fellow cap wearers fail
to hear that he is against raising the minimum wage and considers American
workers overpaid. And that he plans further tax cuts for the rich.

He’s
running for the most important political post in the world but Honest
John hasn’t served a day in public office. He’ll use this
inexperience to his advantage. He’ll call the whole system corrupt
– including his Republican associates. It’s what most people
believe anyway. He will disassociate himself from the politicians that
he’s cultivated most of his life, then get the same people to nominate
him.

After
his victory John will pay his opponent, that one he vowed to jail, effusive
praise for her contribution to America society. He will appoint the very
people he used to denigrate his opponent – Goldman Sachs execs –
to his highest financial positions. He will rail against regulations introduced
after the 2008 Wall St scandals, claiming they’re hamstringing fiscal
growth.

He
will challenge environmental policy in the name of profit. Honest John
swears to uphold the constitution and immediately introduces legislation
that defies it. When his attorney general defends the law he dismisses
her. Reverts to the oldest political line in the book. Says he inherited
a mess.

Points
to Brexit as evidence of the political tide turning. One problem here.
Brexit was decided by majority vote – Honest John lost the majority
by three million. And as for change, he only received 10,000 more votes
than mainstream Republican Mitt Romney did in 2012. I’m sure you
get the picture by now. This is all fantastic Neptune stuff.

THE
TRUTH

It'll
probably get revolution rolling. But not the one he expects. There is
another side to Neptune. It relates to avoidance and complacence. 42%
of the American electorate was unaccounted for in 2016. That’s something
that changes remarkably when real revolutionary times escalate. Like a
sleeping giant waiting to awake from a comatose Neptunian state.

If
the election is to be correctly analyzed, via the people who voted for
neither Clinton nor Trump, the disassociated would have won 490 Electoral
College votes as against 32 for Clinton and 16 for Trump. Disinterest
won the 2016 election by an incredible margin. When that changes, via
believable candidates, real change will follow.

Next
week's column examines the upcoming February 26 Solar Eclipse. It's chart
that links in with both the Reichstag Fire and the first World Trade Centre
bombing and Islamic State. And that's only for starters. It's a must read.
Meantime here's the US election below and the states where the non voters
outnumbered the candidate's support. Overwhelmingly so.

FEB
12

TRUMP
HITTING THE WALL

Donald Trump's controversial
travel ban being ruled unconstitutional is part of a pattern. It will
be one of many initiatives to hit 'the wall' during his tenure. Trump
was elected during an astrological period that for over a century has
proved the undoing of US presidents.

The primary astrological
cycle governing law and order is the twenty year generational meeting
of Jupiter and Saturn. The current presidential term falls into the closing
stages of the Jupiter Saturn cycle.

It's a sure sign that
things will not go as planned. Instead it will be the 2020 election that
sets the tone for the future. There is a clear reason for this. I wrote
on this directly after his election win. This article explains in greater
detail.

The next four years
represents an ending of an old order, not the beginning of a new one.
Such will be increasingly obvious from the latter stages of 2017 and the
first quarter of 2018. There is ample evidence to support presidential
plans going awry from then. It was a recurring theme throughout the last
century.

GOOD
IDEA AT THE TIME?

Woodrow Wilson's
second and final term covered the closing 'balsamic' stage of Jupiter
and Saturn. 1917 saw the Dow drop 22%. Wilson's grand plan of the US heading
up the League of Nation's, post WWI, was scuttled in Congress.

Wilson suffered a
stroke whilst seeking US support for the Treaty of Versailles, leaving
him incapacitated during the latter stages of his presidency. He wanted
to run for a record third term, but his party thought otherwise.

Franklin D Roosevelt
won a second term in a landslide victory, heading into the closing Jupiter
Saturn stage. It began with the US slipping back into Depression as the
Dow dropped 33% in 1937. WWII began two years later.

But Roosevelt's personal
war was with the US Supreme Court. Several of his New Deal initiatives
were ruled unconstitutional. Sounding familiar? Roosevelt then attempted
to stack the Supreme Court by adding six new judges.

It was a move that
brought him undone with Congress and fellow Democrats. His Judicial Procedures
Reform Bill of 1937 was held up in the Senate for 165 days before being
defeated. Real change for America – and the world - came via the
new Jupiter/Saturn cycle and US entry into WWII from 1941.

THE
RUSSIANS ARE COMING

Dwight Eisenhower
was elected for a second term in 1957. Again the Dow Jones tanked in the
second half of the year. But his biggest shock arrived when the Soviet
Union launched Sputnik 1 into space on October 4 1957.

The world's first
artificial space satellite sparked fears of growing Communist powers and
potential surveillance of US installations. Eisenhower implemented his
own covert U-2 spy program. During his final year a US reconnaissance
plane was shot down in Soviet airspace.

Pilot, Gary Powers,
was secretly held captive by the Russians. Eisenhower's administration,
unaware of Power's survival, released a false statement, claiming that
a weather research craft that had accidentally strayed into Soviet territory
before being destroyed.

The truth –
now famously dubbed the U-2 incident - became a major diplomatic victory
for Nikita Kruschev, ahead of crucial summit talks. Eisenhower witnessed
the Soviets take the lead in the space race. He was against what would
become America’s crowning technological achievement of the 20th
century – man walking on the Moon.

Eisenhower argued,
“Anyone who would spend $40 billion in a race to the moon for national
prestige is nuts.” The president also suffered a stroke in November
1957, the first year of his second term. It would be left to the following
Kennedy administration to set the tone for the future.

CARTER
AND THE IRANIAN REVOLUTION

Jimmy Carter's first
year of 1977 saw the Dow tumble 17%. By the time Jupiter and Saturn had
entered their final balsamic phase, American influence in the Middle East
would greatly diminish with the overthrow of the Shah and the Iranian
Revolution.

Carter's troubles
culminated with the American Embassy hostage crisis, as US citizens were
held captive for 444 days in Teheran. Carter's rescue attempt –
Operation Eagle Claw – crashed and burned in the Iranian desert,
along with his re-election prospects.

Carter also witnessed
the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and delivered the order for the US
to support Osama bin Laden; a resistance movement that would come back
to haunt as Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. It was left to Carter's successor,
Ronald Reagan, to propel the US, and the economic world, in a different
direction.

THE
ORAL OFFICE

The last President
governing during the closing stages of the Jupiter Saturn cycle was Bill
Clinton. His first year delivered the Dow mini-crash. On October 27 1997
all trading stopped after a 7% dive, triggered by an Asian meltdown, activated
the NYSE circuit breaker.

The economy recovered
and boomed. Yet Clinton's second term is best remembered by his impeachment
proceedings as the truth of his affair with Monica Lewinsky became front
page scandal. Clinton was further proof that the balsamic phase of Jupiter
and Saturn is the undoing of US administrations.

Might we expect the
same again? Will it be the lack of Congressional, or party, support that
plagued Wilson or the legal challenges that confronted Roosevelt? Will
growing Russian influence and diminishing global status, play a role as
with Eisenhower and Carter. Is there a scandal or even impeachment attempt
ahead ala Clinton?

The predominant theme
is clearly of events not going as planned – the proverbial spanner
in the works presidency, usually with a financial shock thrown in for
good measure. That's the cycle that Donald Trump finds himself elected
into. The signs are already showing. Things are not going as planned in
a cycle of endings. And those plans that do not eventuate may well be
the enduring legacy of the current administration.

January
22

DONALD
TRUMP 2017 PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION

Astrology
purports that the start of an enterprise contains the kernel of its future.
Therefore the inauguration of Donald Trump holds the keys to the potential
of his presidency. The proof of that hypothesis can be found via the swearing
in charts of prior presidents.

INAUGURATION
CHARTS WORK

George
W Bush was sworn in at 12.00.24 pm on January 20 2001, with the Ascendant
opposing the war planet Mars in vengeful Scorpio. The orb was two degrees.
Two years into his presidency, with Ascendant progressing to complete
the opposition, the US was invading Iraq on Bush's command.

When Bill Clinton was sworn in for a second time, Neptune, the planet
of scandal and deception was exactly on the Midheaven. Clinton narrowly
avoided impeachment following his attempted cover up of his affair with
Monica Lewinsky.

JFK
had a more difficult Neptune. It was squaring the Midheaven by around
three degrees, when he took the oath at 12.51 pm. Kennedy lasted slightly
less than three years in office. His assassination remains a Neptunian
enigma to most Americans. And one planet stands out in his swearing in
chart – a way out of bounds Mars.

Richard
Nixon had Mars opposite Saturn for January 20 1973 @ 12.15 pm, when he
swore the oath. The exact time brought the Midheaven in a precise semisquare
to Mars and sesquisquare to the Saturn, a decidedly difficult combination.
The Midheaven was also in the final degree of Capricorn and about to change
signs. As it did, the US changed presidents.

TRUMP
AND LINCOLN - IT'S NOT JUST THE SAME BIBLE

Before I begin to analyze the primary features of
the Trump inauguration chart from the historical perspective, let me make
one point perfectly clear. The chart would have been the same regardless
of who was sworn in as the US President for 2017.

The
predominant outer planetary aspects, for Trump's swearing in, are a tight
Jupiter to Uranus opposition, with a close trine from Saturn to Uranus.
This has only happened once before at Abraham Lincoln's second inauguration,
on March 4 1865.

Lincoln’s
second term was cruelly shortened to 42 days. His VP Andrew Johnson was
sworn in at 11 am April 15 as Saturn retrograded back toward the trine
with Uranus and the Sun came to oppose Saturn.

Does
the expansive nature of Jupiter magnify the surprise factor of Uranus?
On average appearances it would seem so. There have been three occasions
when Jupiter has been in close square to Uranus at swearing in time, which
back this up.

The
first was James Madison who completed a full second term although his
Vice President didn't. The next was William Harrison, the shortest presidency
of them all, lasting only one month. The last was Richard Nixon's second
term, which lasted eight months, finishing with his resignation.

THE MOON WITH MARS AND SATURN

Another
prominent aspect of Trump’s inauguration is the tight square between
the traditional malefics, Mars and Saturn, with both connected to the
Moon. The Moon is public mood, populace and specifically females. The
Moon in debility clearly shows the spirited opposition to this presidency.

Richard Nixon's second inauguration had the two malefics in tight opposition.
The only other presidency, featuring a Mars Saturn square, was that of
James Buchanan, the one most historians rate as the worst of all.

Buchanan’s
term preceded the Civil War. His inaugural address failed to address the
glaring polarity of the nation. Instead he deflected to the economy and
bolstering the military. It received great media attention, as the first
presidential inauguration to be photographed.

URANUS
AND NEPTUNE

As
Trump took the presidential oath the Midheaven came into a confronting
semisquare to Neptune, planet of smokescreen and scandal. In the last
quarter of the year the solar arc of Neptune to this Midheaven will be
virtually exact.

As
Neptune tends to dissipate and dissolve, rather than solidify, it’s
highly likely that this period brings a high degree of uncertainty or
controversy around the leadership.

Adding
to this, the transit of Neptune will also semisquare the swearing in Midheaven
from mid-February. It will come close to repeating the same across the
October period. All of this is further triggered by a transiting New Moon
squaring the administrative Midheaven on October 19.

It's
not only Neptune at play here. Three transits of unpredictable Uranus
will square the Midheaven from the middle of May and late October 2017,
onto early March 2018.

Neptune
and Uranus will repeat their challenging angles to the leadership Sun
of the inauguration horoscope in April and June 2018 respectively. All
of this points to further instability and the real possibility that Trump
will not complete his term.

THE
UNASPECTED SUN

The
Sun of the swearing in chart makes no traditional major aspects to other
planets or angles. Theoretically this means that the leader acts more
independently, free of the influence of his circumstances or surrounds.
The unaspected point or planet, tends to function in 'wild card' manner.

Although
there are no traditional aspects from, or too, the Sun; it is in a powerful
ninth harmonic alignment to Neptune. The Sun is positioned forty degrees
away (one ninth of the zodiac) known as the novile aspect. This has a
universal feel. Importantly, it further emphasizes the Neptunian correlation.

The Sun is also positioned at the direct midpoint of Saturn and Neptune.
The sole inauguration with the Sun at this midpoint was that of Zachary
Taylor, another who through illness, did not finish his tenure.

REALITY OR MASQUERADE?

As Trump came to the presidency under the controversy of subversive covert
interference, Neptune is certainly appropriate. Neptune also connects
with big oil, with his most contentious appointment to date being Rex
Tillerson, the CEO of Exxon as Secretary of State.

The predominance of Neptune adds a sense of unreality to the swearing
in horoscope. A billionaire president, claiming to serve the working class,
who has stacked his administration with capitalist elites. Collective
cognitive dissonance or disappointment with their final presidential choices?

The
next few years may be a social experiment of just how far unregulated
capitalism can extend. The big question now being - how long will its
run last? On the study of past inaugurations there has to be some real
doubts hanging over the longevity and/or covert activities of this one.
For Neptune dictates that things may not be as they seem.

Disclaimer
- The information and astrological interpretations at this site are purely
for recreational reading. They are not meant to replace intelligent decision
making on behalf of the reader, nor assume responsibility for the reader's
life choices. All website information is offered entirely free, and purely
under that common understanding.